A New Kanto Challenger
by ThisMyGuiltyPleasure
Summary: A young man named Shiva challenges the Indigo League, making friends with Brock and Ash Ketchum along the way.  However, the details of Shiva's life are a secret he doesn't seem willing to share.
1. Breaking the Rules

_So this is it,_ the Lucario thought to himself as he looked up at the imposing stone wall in front of him. He absentmindedly rubbed the pitch black Dusk Stone that sat in the crevice where his chest spike used to be. He opened the door in the center of the wall, gripping the Pokéball in his hand tightly.

_I wonder if the gyms here in Kanto are any good._

As he walked into the room, automatic lights flickered to life, casting a fluorescent glow over the space. At the far end of the gym stood a dark skinned man with a rough-hewn face.

"Welcome to Pewter City Gym…" he began powerfully, his voice trailing off as he realized that it was not a trainer, but a Pokémon, who stood before him.

"A Pokémon?" he muttered under his breath, before walking up to the Lucario. He knelt down in front of it. "Are you lost?"

_This is the Pewter City Gym, isn't it?_ the Lucario projected. The man stumbled back in shock.

"You… you can talk?" he stammered in surprise.

_I can communicate telepathically._ The Lucario held his hand out. _My name is Auron. I am challenging this Gym in my trainer's stead._

"My name is Flint, and I'm the current leader of this gym," the man said, shaking Auron's hand. "Where is your trainer?"

_He is feeling unwell._

"Well," the man began slowly. "I'm not sure if you can take his place."

_There are no Indigo League rules that prohibit a Pokémon to challenge a gym in the place of its trainer. I've checked._

"Well then, if you've checked then I guess it's all right," the man said. "Wait here for a moment. We haven't had a challenger in quite a while."

_I'll be right here._

Flint nodded and exited the gym through a side door. A few minutes later, he returned with a young man who bore a striking similarity to himself, albeit with slightly softer features.

"This is my son, Brock," Flint said proudly. "He's a professional Pokémon breeder and a Pokémon Doctor, and a former leader of this gym."

_Hello, Brock._

"Hello," he said, shaking Lucario's hand.

_You don't seem quite as shocked to hear me as your father did._

"I've met a Lucario before who communicated telepathically," Brock said. "I'm not too surprised that there's another one."

"Anyway," Flint cut in, "Brock's going to be refereeing this match."

_Then let's get started,_ Auron said.

Flint and Brock nodded; Flint walked back to the opposite side of the gym, and Brock stood against the wall between them. Flint pulled a lever on the wall behind him, and a rocky bed of jagged stones and boulders emerged from the floor beneath them.

"This will be a three-on-three match. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon." Brock gestured with his arms. "You may begin the match!"

"All right, let's see how good you are!" Flint bellowed, as he threw a Pokéball onto the field. "Let's go Golem!"

A Golem appeared as the Pokéball whizzed back to Flint's hand.

Auron wordlessly threw the Pokéball in his hand onto the field. The Pokéball released a red light, which took the form of a Breloom as the ball flew back into Auron's hand.

"Well, you may have the type advantage," Flint said, "but let's see if you have the power to win! Golem, use Earthquake!"

Golem roared and stomped, the ground beginning to shake underfoot. Breloom leapt deftly into the air toward Golem, avoiding the attack. When it reached the peak of its jump, it shot with blinding speed toward the Golem, delivering a solid Mach Punch. Auron watched wordlessly.

"What? But…" Flint began in shock.

_Breloom wasn't even issued any commands!_ Brock thought to himself. _How did he know to attack, and with such an effective move at that?_

Breloom landed in front of Golem, who shook off the powerful Mach Punch and glared down at its foe. Breloom glared back up defiantly.

"Golem! Stone Edge!"

Several large, jagged stones rose from the ground, surrounding Golem. It roared, sending all of the stones directly at Breloom. Breloom effortlessly dodged every single one of them before delivering a solid Sky Uppercut to Golem's jaw. Golem flew a good fifteen feet into the air before crashing back down onto the field, unconscious.

"…and the winner is Breloom!" Brock announced.

_He doesn't even need any commands to fight!_ He glanced at Auron, who bore a slight smile.

"That's a good Breloom, I'll admit," Flint said as he called back his Golem. "I've never seen a trained Pokémon fight without commands before. But that's not going to be enough to defeat me!" He threw another Pokéball onto the field. "Let's go, Gigalith!"

Breloom stared down the Gigalith, waiting for it to move.

"Gigalith, let's slow him down with Bulldoze!"

Gigalith stomped at the ground, and earth shot up from beneath Breloom to trap his feet. Breloom proved too quick, however, again dodging by leaping into the air.

"That's not going to work on me again!" Flint yelled. "Gigalith, Smack Down!"

Gigalith fired a single jagged stone from its body, which hit Breloom in midair. Breloom fell to the ground, rolling nimbly with the impact.

_That was a good move, even though it didn't do a lot of damage,_ Brock thought to himself. Breloom launched itself at Gigalith using its tail like a spring, pulling back its fist.

"Gigalith! Iron Defense!"

Gigalith's body hardened just as Breloom's fist connected with it, lessening the damage from the Mach Punch. Breloom, without missing a beat, fell to the ground and struck Gigalith's legs with its tail, toppling the enormous opposing Pokémon with a Low Sweep. It bounced back up and fired an Energy Ball from its mouth, before Gigalith could recover from the fall, KOing it.

_Nice job,_ Auron said.

Flint called back Gigalith.

"You may have beaten my first two Pokémon, but it's time for you to face my best." Flint threw his last Pokéball into the arena. "Rhyperior, come on out!"

Rhyperior towered over Breloom, roaring into the air.

_No challenger has _ever _beaten dad's Rhyperior,_ Brock thought to himself. _But if anybody can do it…_

"Let's show him what you've got! Megahorn!"

Rhyperior's horn began to glow, and it lowered its head, charging at Breloom.

"Let's see you dodge this one!" Flint bellowed, laughing.

Breloom, however, stood its ground, taking a deep breath before releasing a cloud of yellow powder from its mouth. Rhyperior collapsed to the ground mid-step, sliding the rest of the length of the field before coming to rest at Breloom's feet, asleep.

Breloom leapt into the air and released a jet of glowing seeds from its mouth, all of which exploded on contact with the sleeping Rhyperior.

_One, two, three, four…_ Brock counted frantically in his head. _That's six moves! Pokémon aren't supposed to be able to learn more than four!_

Once the dust raised by the Seed Bomb cleared, it was obvious that Rhyperior wasn't getting back up. Breloom danced with happiness at the victory; Auron grinned. Flint stood in disbelief.

"How… what…"

"And… the winner is Auron!" Brock said, still in shock.

_Who _are _these guys? More importantly, who's their trainer?_

Auron and Breloom walked up to Flint, and Auron held out his hand.

_So, we get the Boulder Badge now, right?_

Flint's mouth was still agape.

"You didn't give Breloom any commands," Brock said, walking up to the group.

_No._

"And he used six different moves."

Auron counted on his fingers. _Yes, I guess he did._

"How is that even possible? Pokémon aren't supposed to know more than four!"

_That's a silly restriction,_ Auron said. _With the right training it can be overcome._

Flint finally came to his senses, and reached into his pocket.

"Umm… I present you with this badge to acknowledge your victory against the Pewter City Gym," he said shakily.

_Thanks,_ Auron said, taking the badge before turning to leave with Breloom.

"Wait!" Brock called out after him as Auron stepped through the door. Auron turned his head to face him.

"Who is your trainer?"

Auron was silent for a moment.

_Would you like to meet him?_

Brock nodded and hurried after Auron and Breloom. "I'll be back in time to make dinner, dad!" he called back to his father.


	2. Meeting Shiva

_This is Freyr, by the way,_ Auron said as they walked from the gym, gesturing to Breloom. Freyr smiled up at Brock.

"Where are you and your trainer staying?"

_The Pokémon Center. My trainer is sick, and Nurse Joy is helping to take care of him._

"That's awfully nice of her," Brock said. "What's your trainer's name, by the way?"

_Shiva._

"Are you and Shiva from here in Kanto?"

_No._

"Well, where are you from?" Brock asked, after a brief silence.

_I'm not supposed to say._

"…oh."

The rest of the walk to the Pokémon Center passed in silence. Ten minutes later, the automatic doors to the building slid open, and the group walked in from the dusk of the evening to the brightly lit Pokémon Center.

"Oh, hello Brock!" Nurse Joy called out from behind the counter.

"Hello, Nurse Joy," Brock replied, blushing.

"I see you've met Auron and Freyr," she said.

"Auron challenged my dad's gym," Brock said. "Freyr won with almost no damage at all."

"All of Shiva's Pokémon are quite something," Nurse Joy said. "Are you here to see him?"

"Yes, actually," Brock said.

"His room is right upstairs. Auron can show you the way."

"Thank you ma'am," he said, following Auron and Freyr up the stairs. They walked down the hallway and Auron opened the third door on the right.

There was a young, brown-skinned man with black hair asleep in the bed, who couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen years old. At the foot of his bed, an Infernape lay curled up, snoring. A Gardevoir sat in an armchair next to the bed, legs crossed, staring up at Brock from the book in her hands.

_He can't be much older than me._

"Who is this?" the Gardevoir demanded sternly, as she stood up and moved around the bed in front of Shiva protectively. Brock jumped slightly in surprise.

_Relax, Athena,_ Auron said as he walked into the room. _He's the gym leader's son. He wanted to meet Shiva._

"Why?" Athena asked suspiciously, eyeing him with distrust.

_Nobody's out to get Shiva, Athena,_ Lucario said. _Some people just want to be friends._

"Hi, I'm Brock," Brock said, carefully holding out his hand. Athena didn't take it. Brock awkwardly pulled it back, scratching his head.

"I saw Freyr's gym battle today, and I was amazed at how well he battled. I just wanted to meet his trainer."

"Well, as you can see, he's resting now," Athena said. "So–"

"Oh, relax, Athena," Shiva said. Brock looked over at him in surprise; his eyes were open, and he was smiling. "You're so overprotective," he said as he sat up weakly.

"Don't get up," Athena said, rushing to his side. "You're still sick." Shiva collapsed back into the bed.

"I'd shake your hand, but I don't want to get you sick too," Shiva said, smiling weakly up at Brock. "I'm Shiva."

"I'm Brock," Brock replied. "I saw Freyr's battle against my father, the Pewter City Gym Leader. Freyr was amazing."

"Of course he was," Shiva said, reaching an arm out to pat Freyr's head. Freyr hummed happily.

"If you don't mind my asking," Brock said, "How did you train Freyr? He used six different moves when I saw him, and he didn't even need any commands to fight! I've never seen anything like it!"

"All of my team members are like that," Shiva said. "I don't need to tell any of them how to fight."

"But… how? I'm a Pokémon Breeder, and I'm really curious as to how you train your Pokémon."

Shiva chuckled. "It's not really something I can explain. Maybe someday, you'll be able to learn for yourself."

Brock looked down; Shiva's Infernape was looking up at him curiously.

"Hey, Hanuman," Shiva said. "That's Brock. He's a new friend." Hanuman extended his hand, and Brock shook it.

"Your Pokémon are all very polite," Brock said.

"Of course," Shiva said. "It's important to be polite. Right, Athena?" he said, looking pointedly at her. She blushed and averted her gaze.

"Sorry about before," she said to Brock. "I can be a little protective." Auron snorted, stifling a laugh.

"Do you have something you want to say?" she asked him heatedly.

_Nothing,_ he replied, chuckling.

Athena sat down on the bed next to Shiva. "You can have the chair," she said to Brock.

"Thanks," he said. "So, Shiva, Auron said that you're not from Kanto?"

"No, we're not," he said. "But I can't tell you where we _are_ from. It's a secret."

"Well then, what brings you here to Kanto?"

"We're challenging the Indigo Plateau Conference," Athena said. "Shiva's already beaten the Ever Grande Conference and the Lily of the Valley Conference."

"What? That's amazing!"

"Well, we did it together," Shiva said. "Athena and Auron have been with me from the beginning of my league journeys."

"What did you do before you took on the different leagues?"

"I was a breeder, like you," Shiva said. "Well, I guess I still am."

The door opened and a Blissey walked in holding a tray with two bowls of soup. Shiva took one.

"Thanks." Blissey smiled and offered the other one to Brock.

"Umm, no thanks. I have to make dinner for my family." Blissey nodded and took it back out of the room, singing happily.

"So, how's the gym scene here in Kanto?" Shiva asked Brock. "We flew straight here after we docked at Vermillion a week ago, and then I got sick, so we haven't had time to check things out."

"To be honest," Brock said as he scratched his head, "things have been pretty slow for the last few years. People just aren't challenging the gyms like they used to. We haven't even had a proper League tournament in four years. There just hasn't been enough interest."

"I see," Shiva said. "It seems that you have the same problems here as in Sinnoh and Hoenn. When I completed the conferences, I did it by defeating all of the Elite Four in a row. There wasn't a proper tournament."

"Yeah, people just seem disenchanted with the idea of Pokémon battles anymore. It's as though they've somehow 'outgrown' the idea of it."

_That's sad,_ Auron said. _People don't understand that battling is just another way for people and Pokémon to connect._

"Exactly!" Brock exclaimed. "You guys understand!"

"I have a proposition for you, Brock," Shiva began slowly after a moment of silence.

"Yes?"

"How would you like to come along with us? We could use a guide through Kanto. We didn't go through Hoenn and Sinnoh on our own."

Brock was silent, his mouth slightly agape.

"I… I would love to."

"Excellent. We can leave Pewter as soon as I'm better."

Brock stood. "Thank you. I'll stop by again tomorrow, but I have to get home."

"No problem," Shiva said. "One last thing before you go."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Word has it that you're friends with one Ash Ketchum."

"Umm, yeah. Who'd you hear that from?"

"A girl named Dawn, from Sinnoh. I understand you three traveled together once upon a time."

"Yeah, that's right," Brock said, smiling. "How is she?"

"She's great," Shiva said. "She's working for Professor Rowan."

"Really?" Brock said, surprised. "I thought she wanted to be a professional Coordinator."

"Well, she did a summer internship with Fantina's Fashion Co., and she still participates in contests," Shiva said. "She said that she wants to learn as much as she can about Pokémon so that she can be a better Coordinator."

"That's Dawn," Brock said, smiling.

"Anyway," Shiva said, "I'd like to meet him, if possible. I've heard a lot about him from a lot of people."

"Really?"

"He's made a lot of friends," Shiva said. "I want to see what's so special about him."

"All right," Brock said. "I'll take you to meet him as soon as you get better."

"It's a deal," Shiva said.


	3. Chandelured

After breakfast, Brock immediately headed over to the Pokémon Center where Shiva was staying. He entered to a see Blissey trying to calm down a very distressed Athena, as Auron prepared to leave, slinging a backpack over his shoulders.

"What's going on?" Brock asked.

"Shiva is getting sicker, and I'm out of human medicine," Nurse Joy said. "I'm sending Auron out to get some more."

_Would you like to come?_ Auron asked. _It would be much faster if I were with someone who knows where things are._

"Yeah, sure," Brock said. "Is Athena all right?"

"Of _course_ I'm not all right," she snapped, pacing back and forth. "Shiva's getting sicker and there's nothing I can do about it!"

_Relax. He's going to be fine._

"He's right," Nurse Joy said firmly. "You should stop worrying so much."

Blissey began pushing Athena back up the stairs. Brock stared after them.

_Shall we go?_

"Yeah."

They reached the main part of the city in about an hour. Over the past few years, the once quaint town had become industrialized, and the lush grass and rock quarries gradually gave way to apartment complexes and supermarkets.

"If I remember correctly," Brock said, "the pharmacy is that way." Auron nodded and followed.

_The heart of the city is not quite so laid back._

"Things have changed in the last few years." Construction cranes dominated the landscape, many buildings half-finished. People rushed this way and that, many accompanied by their Pokémon.

After ten minutes of navigating the crowd, they finally reached their destination. Brock walked up to the counter, where an elderly man in a white coat was ringing up another customer's purchase.

"Can I help you?" he asked Brock as the customer walked away.

_We're here to pick up a package for Nurse Joy._

"Yes, she said that a Lucario would be by to pick it up!" the man said, clapping his hands in delight. "And a talking one at that! Fascinating!"

_The package, please. My friend is sick._

"Of course, of course," the man said, bending out of sight behind the counter. He straightened up a moment later with a small paper bag.

"Here you go." Auron reached into his bag to pay, but the man held up his hands.

"No, no. We don't charge for medicine ordered by Nurse Joy." Auron nodded and put his bag back over his shoulders.

_Thank you._

"Have a nice day!" the man said as Auron and Brock exited the store.

"Well, that was fast."

_Yes. Let's get back to the Pokémon Center._

Five minutes passed uneventfully; suddenly, Auron's ears perked up. He stopped, closing his eyes. The black appendages on his head rose into the air.

"What's going on?"

Lucario opened his eyes and began running, throwing his bag back at Brock. Brock stared in confusion for a moment, before giving chase.

"Auron! Wait up!"

Auron kept running as Brock trailed farther and farther behind. He reached a burning apartment building; fire trucks were parked outside, and firefighters were hosing down the building with the aid of a Blastoise. People were gathered outside, some crying as they looked at the burning building.

_What happened here?_ Auron demanded as he skidded to a halt.

"Looks like a gas leak," one of the firefighters yelled over the din. "There's still a child up there, but none of us can get past the first floor." He looked down. "Hey, you're a Pokémon."

Auron didn't respond; instead, he dashed toward the building.

"Wait! You can't go in there!"

Auron ignored the warnings, quickly vaulting up the face of the building with the aid of balconies and window sills. He slid gracefully through an open window on the third floor as Brock finally reached the fire trucks.

"Did a Lucario just go in there?" he panted.

"Yeah, he looked like he was going to save the kid trapped up there!"

Inside the building, Auron dodged a falling piece of timber, and listened intently. He heard the faint cries of a child on the floor above him. He made for the stairs, but they collapsed under his weight. He grabbed on to the floor above, catching himself. He hoisted himself up, now on the fourth floor, and ran through the hallway as flames licked at his ankles.

_Right here,_ he said to himself before kicking down a door on his right. Inside, a small boy cowered under a table. The entire room was ablaze, and the ceiling above the table was about to give.

_Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here._

Lucario ran over to the table and rolled under it, scooping up the child as he went. He heard the ceiling collapse behind them. Without breaking stride, he ran straight for the window and jumped, spinning in the air to protect the child. He flew backwards out the window, shards of glass falling to the ground. Still holding the child under his left arm, he grabbed the window sill with his right hand, then gracefully slid down the wall. As soon as he hit the ground, the child bolted towards his parents, crying. They scooped him up and hugged him.

"Thanks mister!" he called back to Auron. The parents smiled at him through their tears.

Brock ran up to Auron. "That was crazy! Are you all right?"

Auron turned back to look at the building. _I sensed something else in there. They're not going to be able to put out the fire themselves. I have to go back in._

"Wait–"

_Don't worry._

Auron vaulted back up the side of the building as he had before, leaving Brock speechless.

He landed on the fourth floor again, in the room he had just left. He dashed out of the room and into the one right across the hall. There, wreathed in flames, was a Chandelure. When it saw Auron, it began bouncing around wildly.

_You need to stop,_ Auron said. _You've hurt a lot of people, and destroyed their homes._

Chandelure let out a ghostly scream, and the flames on its arms and head flared up in defiance. Auron and Chandelure stared each other down.

_Fine then._ Auron's arms became engulfed in a dark energy, and he quickly fired off a Dark Pulse at the Chandelure. It dodged the dark bullet, and retaliated with a Fire Blast. A star of purple fire rushed toward Auron; instead of dodging, he took the hit, grunting with pain, then retaliated with a lightning-fast Payback. Chandelure dropped to the ground, before rising back up weakly. Auron panted.

_That was a powerful Fire Blast._

Chandelure's flames began glowing brighter as he stored energy; a small ball of water formed between Auron's palms, growing in size. At the same time, they both let loose, and Auron's Water Pulse flew headlong into Chandelure's Flamethrower. At the point of contact, a huge cloud of steam expanded, filling the room and obscuring the view of both Pokémon.

Chandelure spun around frantically, looking for Auron. Suddenly, Auron leapt from the steam with a glowing bone-shaped energy saber in his hands. He pelted Chandelure with a flurry of Bone Rush attacks before Chandelure fell to the ground, finally defeated.

Auron wasted no time in leaving the way he arrived. When he reached the ground, he walked calmly back toward the perimeter.

_You should have no problem putting out the fire now,_ he said to the fireman from before.

"What happened up there?"

_It was a Chandelure that was causing your problems. But I took care of it._

"Wow, thanks!"

Within a few minutes, the firemen had but a significant dent in the blaze.

_I'm ready to leave,_ Auron said, extending his arms to take his bag back from Brock.

"That was amazing," Brock said, dumbfounded, as he handed the bag back.

_It was really nothing._

"Are you all right?"

_Just a little winded is all. Let's hurry back._


	4. The Way to Pallet Town

Five days passed by quickly. Brock visited Shiva every day, and they talked about breeding and raising different kinds of Pokémon. Brock met the rest of Shiva's team: in addition to Auron, Hanuman, Freyr, and Athena, Shiva had a Togekiss named Seraphim, and a Dragonite named Jormungand.

By the morning of the fifth day, Shiva was up and about. Brock stopped by, his travelling items packed. Shiva was outside waiting.

"Ready to go?"

"Yep," Shiva said. Auron, Athena, Jormungand, and Seraphim stood by him.

"I don't think I've ever seen Athena or Auron in a Pokéball," Brock observed.

"I don't like being in a Pokéball," Athena said. "I need to be out here to protect Shiva."

_And I don't have a Pokéball,_ Auron said.

"What?" Brock scratched his head in confusion.

"Technically," Shiva began, "I never actually caught him. He just decided to come with me."

"Really?" Brock said. "I don't think I've ever heard of that happening before. Not for such a long time, anyway."

"Well, we're partners," Shiva said.

_And one does not just abandon his partner._

"Before we go," Brock said, "I wanted to introduce you to my Pokémon." Brock held out four Pokéballs, and four Pokémon took shape.

"This is Steelix, Blissey, Sudowoodo, and Croagunk." All of them except for Croagunk smiled and cried out.

Croagunk sauntered up to Auron and stared at him, croaking slowly. Auron stared back.

_This… is an interesting Pokémon._

"Crooooo."

"Anyway," Brock said, recalling his Pokémon, "Let's get going, shall we?" He pulled a map out of his bag. "If we move quickly, it shouldn't take more than–"

"Half a day," Shiva interrupted.

"What? No, it'll be at least three…"

Brock looked up. Shiva, Athena and Auron sat on Jormangand's back. Seraphim stood on the ground in front of him, looking up at him curiously.

"This'll be faster!" Shiva yelled as Jormungand launched himself into the air, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. Seraphim chirped happily.

"Wait… you want me to…"

Seraphim nodded and cocked his head to one side.

"Okay," Brock said, mounting Seraphim. No sooner had he sat than Seraphim shot from the ground like a bullet, pulling up alongside Jormungand.

"Wow… this is amazing!" Brock exclaimed as they soared just beneath the clouds.

"Beats walking, doesn't it?" Shiva called back.

About two hours in, they stopped to take a rest by a small lake. Shiva and Brock let all of their Pokémon out. Athena and Blissey sat by the lake together, while Steelix, Jormungand, and Seraphim slept under the sun. Sudowoodo, Hanuman, and Freyr wrestled playfully.

Shiva and Brock sat next to each other on a felled log, Auron and Croagunk on either side. Croagunk stared at Auron as Shiva and Brock talked; Auron stared back.

Suddenly, Croagunk leapt from the log and pointed at Auron, challenging him.

"GUUUUUNK!"

"Hey Auron, looks like Croagunk wants to fight!" Shiva said.

"Croagunk, be polite," Brock chided.

_I don't mind._ Auron lowered himself to the ground. All of the other Pokémon stopped what they were doing to watch; even the three sleeping Pokémon were wide awake now, watching intently.

_Let's fight._

"All right," Brock said, ready to give Croagunk commands. Croagunk settled into an attacking stance, as did Lucario.

"Don't forget," Shiva said, "Poison-type moves have no effect on Steel-type Pokémon."

"Thanks for the advice, but I think we'll be fine," Brock said. "Croagunk, use Brick Break!"

Croagunk ran at Auron with a fierce battle cry, his fist glowing. He brought his fist crashing down, but Auron sidestepped at the last second, and Croagunk stumbled.

"Croagunk! Watch out!"

Croagunk jumped into the air as he spun around, but he never hit the ground. He floated there, surrounded by a faint purple light.

"What? Is that Psychic?"

Auron held his arm outstretched toward Croagunk, keeping him in the air. He swung his arm down, and Croagunk crashed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Croagunk! Are you all right?"

The dust cleared, and Croagunk was struggling to pull himself out of the crater in the ground. He croaked weakly, then shook his head.

"All right Croagunk!" All of Brock's Pokémon cheered enthusiastically. Auron smiled.

_You're a tough one._

"Croagunk! Use Drain Punch!"

Croagunk ran straight at Auron, his glowing fist pulled back.

_Again?_

Auron sidestepped again, but this time Croagunk was ready. Instead of attacking straight in front of him, he punched to his side, hitting Auron square in the stomach. Auron skipped backward, and Croagunk stood straighter, some of his energy replenished.

"Nice one!" Shiva called out.

"Yeah, great job!"

_You're adapting. Not bad. But, there's no way you can escape this._

Lucario plunged his hands into the ground, and it began trembling mightily with the power of his Earthquake. Croagunk lost his footing and fell, and shockwaves emanating from the epicenter knocked him about. Croagunk didn't get back up.

"And the winner is Auron!" Shiva and his team cheered. Brock rushed to Croagunk's side.

"Are you all right?" Croagunk opened his eyes and nodded. He walked slowly over to Auron, and stared at him.

_That was a good fight._

Croagunk held out his hand, and Auron shook it.

"Aww, that's adorable," Athena said mockingly. Auron silenced her with a glare.

"We should get going if we want to make it by nightfall," Shiva said, looking down at his watch.

The next few hours were spent in the air and were rather uneventful. At around six, they finally landed on a dirt path just outside of Pallet Town. The sun set the sky ablaze with orange.

"Almost there," Brock said. Shiva recalled Jormungand and Seraphim, and they walked into the town.

The landscape was dominated by grass and low, modest houses. A light breeze blew through the air.

"This is a beautiful town," Athena said as they strolled down the dirt path.

"It's so quiet," Shiva said.

"That's the house," Brock said, pointing ahead. He began running.

"Hey, wait up!" Shiva called as he ran after him.

Brock stood in front of the door, hand raised to knock, but he didn't move.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing's the matter," Brock said. "It's just… I haven't seen him in four years."

"Well, no time like the present," Shiva said, knocking on the door for him.

From inside the house, they could hear muffled voices.

"Ash, could you get the door?" a woman's voice called out.

"Yeah, mom," replied a boy's voice. The door swung open, and the young man and the Pikachu on his shoulder stared.

"B… Brock?" he said, a look of shock on his face.

"Hey, Ash."

Ash's look of surprise slowly gave way to a huge grin, and he hugged Brock enthusiastically.

"It's been so long! It's so great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too, Ash." They separated, and Ash's mom walked up.

"Oh, hello Brock!"

"Hello, Mrs. Ketchum."

"You look well. How've you been?"

"I've been busy at the hospital, but I'm taking a break."

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Shiva asked.

"Oh, of course. Ash, Mrs. Ketchum, this is Shiva."

"It's a real pleasure to meet you," Shiva said as he took Ash's hand.

"It's great to meet you too!"

Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and walked up to Athena and Auron, waving and smiling.

"Oh, this is Auron, and Athena," Shiva said. Athena held out a hand.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. Ash jumped in shock.

"Wow, you can talk?"

Auron held out his hand.

_Hello, Ash Ketchum._

"Wow, you have some cool Pokémon!" Ash said, shaking Auron's hand.

"Would you all like to come in for some dinner?" Delia asked them. "I've made plenty."

"Thank you," Shiva said. They walked in and removed their shoes.

"So, what brings you to Pallet Town?" Ash asked Brock.

"Actually, Shiva said he wanted to meet you."

"What? You wanted to meet me?"

"I've heard a lot about you, Ash."

"Really? Where?"

"Hoenn and Sinnoh. You've got quite a reputation."

"Hear that, Ash?" his mom said. "You're famous!"

"Mom, you're embarrassing me," he said. Shiva laughed.

They talked animatedly for the next half hour while they finished eating and cleaned up, with the help of Delia's Mr. Mime.

"Hey, Ash," Shiva said. "I should tell you the real reason I wanted to meet you."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I want to challenge you to a battle."

Brock and Delia watched in stunned silence.

"Are you sure?" Ash said, smiling. "Like you said, I'm pretty famous."

"I want to see how strong you are firsthand."

"Well, it's too late right now," Delia cut in.

"Tomorrow then," Shiva said. "No excuses."

"Are you kidding? You couldn't keep me away if you wanted to!"

"Pika pika!"

"In the meantime," Delia said, "you can all feel free to stay here with us."

"Are you sure? We wouldn't want to be a burden."

"Nonsense," she said with a wave of her hand. "Any friends of Ash's are welcome here. Mimey, be a dear and show them to their room."

Shiva, Brock, Athena and Auron followed Mimey up the stairs. Ash and Pikachu turned to each other, their faces flushed with the prospect of a new challenge.


	5. The Pokémon Professor

Shiva woke up early the next morning. He looked down at his watch; it was seven. Brock was still asleep in the other bed in the guest room, and Athena and Auron were asleep on blankets on the floor. Shiva quietly left the room and went outside.

He reached the foot of the stairs when he heard the door open and shut quietly behind him. Athena was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going out for a walk."

"Oh, can I come?" she asked excitedly.

Shiva smiled as he sighed. "I can't imagine that you'd stay even if I said no."

"Correct!" She rushed down the stairs to meet him.

The sky was a bright grayish-orange. Wind swept through the air as Shiva and Athena walked down the dirt path.

"Hey, what's that building?" Athena asked as she squinted. There was a building in the distance on a hill, much larger than the houses around them, with a wind turbine in front.

"Looks important. Let's check it out."

It took them about twenty minutes of leisurely walking to reach the building. There was a gate at the bottom of the hill; a sign next to it read "Pokémon Research Lab."

"I wonder if there's a way to open the gate?" Shiva looked for a latch of some sort, but to no avail.

"What about this?" There was a small screen on the opposite side of the gate with two buttons and a slot.

"I think you need an ID card of some sort to get in."

Shiva pressed one of the buttons. The small screen flickered to life, displaying a room with a desk and empty chair. The desk was cluttered with paper, and a half-empty mug of coffee rested next to a computer mouse.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

"Oh my!" A man with gray hair came into view from the side of the screen. "And who might you be, young man?"

"I'm visiting Pallet Town, and I was wondering what this building is. I'm a friend of Ash's."

"Is that so? Well, any friend of Ash's is a friend of mine! Are you looking to start your Pokémon journey?"

Shiva scratched his head, realizing that Athena was outside of the camera's range. "Something like that, yeah."

"I'll be right down." The screen shut itself off.

"I guess he didn't see you," Shiva said.

A minute later, the man strolled out of the building, his white lab coat blowing gently in the breeze. The gates opened automatically as he drew near.

"Hello, my name is Professor Samuel Oak!" He reached out a hand, and Shiva took it.

"Hello, I'm Shiva."

"I see you already have a Pokémon!" he said enthusiastically, turning to Athena. "If I may ask; where did you find a Gardevoir? Their family isn't native to this region."

"Shiva caught me in Hoenn," she said, and Professor Oak jumped. She extended a hand.

"My name is Athena. It's very nice to meet you."

"O… of course. Likewise." He was smiling giddily now. "Wow. It's not every day one gets to meet a talking Pokémon! If I may ask, how did you learn such a skill?"

"I first started speaking when I was a Kirlia. Shiva would teach me how to pronounce words and sounds like people do."

"That's absolutely fascinating!"

"Thank you! But it's really all thanks to him."

"Ah, yes! You said that you're friends with Ash?"

"We just met yesterday, actually. Brock and I are staying with him right now."

"Brock is here too?"

"Yep."

"Oh! Where are my manners? Would you like to come in?"

"We'd love to. Can you show us what you do around here?"

"Of course! I'll give you the grand tour!"

They walked up the winding dirt path to the lab. The doors slid open as they approached, and closed behind them. They found themselves in a hallway with metal tiled floors; to the left was a staircase, and the rest of the hallway was lined with doors.

"Those stairs go up to my main research lab," Oak said as they walked by it. To the right were rows and rows of books, and all along the back wall were shelves filled with Pokéballs, each with a label underneath.

"Wow," Athena gasped.

"This is quite the collection," Shiva said, visibly impressed.

"Thank you. This has been my life's work," Oak said proudly as he looked upon his lab. "I've been studying Pokémon behavior and how Pokémon and people interact since I was a young man. Why do some Pokémon like to be wild and untamed, and others prefer to be with a trainer? Why do some Pokémon only evolve after becoming close to a human? These are the kinds of questions I try to answer. Pokémon are such fascinating creatures."

"They certainly are," Shiva said.

"Well, that's enough reminiscing! Come, I'll show you my lab."

They walked up the stairs they had passed upon entering the building. They emerged into an enormous room with metal tiling, and four large windows on the opposite wall underneath a balcony. To the left was the desk that Shiva had seen on the intercom screen. A variety of odd machines lined the walls of the room. There was a sofa along the back wall, and near the center of the room was a cylindrical machine with three Pokéballs set into its face.

"Those are the three Pokémon that young people beginning their journeys here can choose from," he said. Then he sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly. "But nobody's left on a journey in a while."

"Brock was telling me about that the other day," Shiva said. "Why isn't anybody taking on the league challenges anymore?"

"Just a lack of a sense of adventure, I guess." Oak shook his head. "Kids today are content with just staying at home with a Pokémon, not caring to see the world beyond their own lives. It's sad, really."

"It is," Athena said solemnly.

"People grow so much by meeting new people and Pokémon. I can't understand why anybody with that opportunity would want to let it go to waste!"

"It's too bad," Shiva said.

"By the way, young man." Oak turned to face Shiva. "You said that you're not from Pallet Town. Are you from Hoenn?"

"No."

"Well, where _are_ you from?"

"I… can't tell you that."

"Hmm. A man of mystery, eh? Well, it's no matter." He smiled. "It's clear that you love Pokémon very much, and that's all that really counts."

"Thanks for understanding, Professor." Shiva looked down at his watch. "I should probably be getting back to Ash's now."

"Say! What if I invited them all over for breakfast instead? I can show you the Oak Corral!"

"The Oak… Corral?"

"It's where all of the Pokémon I look after spend time outside of their Pokéballs! I'm sure Athena will love it."

"Actually," she said, "I'd rather stay with Shiva."

"No problem at all! I'll give Delia a call and tell her to come over. Why don't you follow me to my living room?"

They walked back downstairs into the living room.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable." Shiva and Athena sat down as Oak picked up the phone.

About an hour later, the entire population of the Ketchum household was at Oak's door.

"It's nice to see you again, Brock!"

"Hello, Professor."

"Hello, Ash, Delia, Mimey, Pikachu. Come on in." They all entered, revealing Auron, who had been standing behind them. He carried a messenger bag with Shiva's other Pokéballs, the Boulder Badge pinned to the strap.

"Oh, hello! Do you belong to Shiva?"

_My name is Auron._

"Wow, another talking Pokémon? Amazing! Come on in!"

_Thank you._ Auron walked in, and Oak closed the door behind him.


	6. Showdown at the Corral

"Before we eat," Shiva said, as everybody entered Oak's lab, "can you show me your corral?"

"Of course! Follow me!" Oak led the way, and Shiva, Auron, and Athena followed him.

"Hey, let's go too!" Ash said to Brock, and they, too, followed Oak.

The back door opened to a vast, lush field of greenery with several large lakes. Numerous Pokémon roamed the grass, and several jumped out of the lake. To the east was an expanse of rocky terrain, where a large number of Rock- and Fire- and Fighting-type Pokémon lounged about. And to the west was a desert-like zone, where more Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon mulled about, several relaxing beneath the sand.

"This is amazing!" Athena said, her eyes bright.

_Impressive._

Shiva took the bag from Auron, and pulled the Pokéballs out.

"Come on out, guys!" he said excitedly as he tossed them into the air. Jormungand and Seraphim flew up, joining other flying Pokémon as they soared through the sky. Freyr joined a group of Grass-type Pokémon who chased each other playfully, and Hanuman ran over to the rock area, where he challenged a Machoke to a sparring match.

"You guys come on out too!" Brock said as he tossed his Pokéballs into the air; Steelix, Blissey, Sudowoodo and Croagunk separated into separate groups. Croagunk challenged Hanuman to a fight, and Shiva and Brock laughed.

"Hey Professor, how've my Pokémon been?" Ash asked. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and into the enclosure.

"They've all been doing very well, Ash," Oak said. "I think they miss the adventures you used to go on, though."

A blobby purple head poked out from behind a tree in the enclosure. Ash squinted.

"Is that…"

"MUUUUUUK!" The Muk sped toward Ash with alarming speed and tackled him, smothering him with its gooey body.

"It's good to see you too, buddy!" Ash laughed as Muk hugged him. Muk then turned to Shiva.

"Umm, hi," Shiva said, before being similarly smothered.

"What is going on?" he yelled in confusion.

"Ash's Muk is very affectionate toward humans," Oak said, smiling. Muk looked up and tackled him.

"I see that," Shiva said. Athena giggled.

"Hey, let's go eat!" Ash said. "I'm starving."

Oak, Ash, Brock, Shiva, Athena and Auron walked back into the sitting room, where Delia was reading a magazine. Mimey was straightening up the room.

"I'll be right back, I'll just go get the food."

"Mimey, go help the Professor, won't you?"

Mimey lauged affirmatively and followed Oak out of the room.

"So, Ash," Shiva said, turning to face him.

"Yeah?"

"I get the feeling you haven't battled in a while."

"Well, there's nobody to battle here, now that Gary's working for Professor Rowan in Sinnoh."

"Gary?" Shiva raised an eyebrow.

"He and Ash were rivals when they started out their journey," Brock explained. "He's Professor Oak's grandson."

"Wow, he must be pretty powerful," Shiva said.

"Yeah, but he and I are best friends now!"

"Well, are you sure you'll be able to hold your own against me?"

"Yeah! Just wait and see, I'll blow you away!" Ash jumped from the sofa in excitement.

"Ash, calm down, honey. You can battle after breakfast."

"You haven't changed a bit, have you, Ash?" Brock chuckled.

An hour later, the group was assembled outside on a flat battle arena. Ash and Pikachu stood at one end, eyes gleaming. Shiva stood nonchalantly at the other end, flanked by Auron and Athena. Oak stood in the center, ready to referee.

"This will be a three-on-three battle!" Oak declared. "The combatants may substitute Pokémon at any time!"

"All right, Pikachu, get ready," Ash said seriously. Pikachu nodded affirmatively.

"And…" Oak said, raising his arm. "Begin!"

"All right, Pikachu, let's go!" Pikachu bounded into the ring, cheeks flaring with electricity.

"Let's show them how it's done," Shiva said, tossing a Pokéball casually into the ring. Hanuman burst out of it, smiling.

"This is Hanuman," Shiva said. Hanuman waved happily; Ash and Pikachu looked at each other in confusion.

"Umm… hi?" Ash said.

Hanuman delivered a blindingly fast Mach Punch to Pikachu, hitting him square in the jaw. Pikachu tumbled along the ground.

"Pikachu, are you all right?" Ash cried out.

"Never let your guard down," Shiva said.

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu cried out and released a devastating bolt of electricity, kicking up a cloud of dust. When it cleared, Hanuman was nowhere to be seen.

"What? Where'd he go?" Ash and Pikachu looked frantically from side to side. The ground beneath Pikachu began shaking.

"Pikachu! Watch out!"

Pikachu jumped into the air just as Hanuman jumped upward from beneath the ground, narrowly avoiding the Dig attack.

"Not bad," Shiva said.

"It'll take a lot more than that to take us down," Ash said confidently. "Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu ran at Hanuman, gaining speed.

"Just try dodging this!"

Pikachu tackled Hanuman at full speed, knocking him back.

"Take that!"

Before Pikachu could even right himself, Hanuman retaliated with a powerful Counter. Pikachu spiraled through the air, crashing into Ash. They both tumbled to the ground.

"Pikachu, are you all right?" Ash held Pikachu in his arms.

"Pikachu is no longer able to battle!" Oak declared. Pikachu opened his eyes and smiled weakly at Ash.

"Take a break, buddy. You earned it."

_Wow, that Infernape is tough,_ Ash thought as he pulled a Pokéball from his belt.

"All right Floatzel, let's go!" Floatzel appeared from the Pokéball, its arms crossed defiantly across its chest.

"Hey, Buizel evolved!" Brock said with surprise.

"Yeah! Wait 'til you see how much more powerful he is! Ready, Floatzel?" Floatzel growled, getting down on all fours.

"Be careful, Ash! You may have the type advantage, but I'm sure Shiva's got some tricks up his sleeve!"

"Don't worry about me!" Ash said. "Floatzel! Use Aqua Jet!"

Floatzel cloaked himself and water, and was about to shoot toward Hanuman when it stumbled and fell, the cloak of water crashing to the ground.

"What happened?"

Floatzel's foot was ensared by two long blades of grass.

"Grass Knot!" Ash cried out in surprise.

_Well, at least I know all four of its moves now._

Floatzel stood up, glaring at Hanuman.

"All right Floatzel, use Scald!"

Floatzel's cheeks puffed up, and a steaming jet of water shot toward Hanuman. Hanuman rolled beneath it and ran at Floatzel, pulling his fist back for a Mach Punch. However, when his fist made contact with Floatzel's unprotected midsection, it crackled with electricity. Floatzel fell back. It stood up shakily, still sparking with electricity.

"What? But that's five moves!"

"Ash, keep your head in the battle!"

"Right," Ash said, shaking his head. "Floatzel! Use Aqua Jet again!"

Floatzel remained motionless, as Hanuman's hand became encased in long, dark claws. He swiped at Floatzel with a powerful Shadow Claw, KOing him.

"Floatzel is no longer able to battle!" Oak said.

"Why didn't he move?"

"He was paralyzed," Brock said. Ash called Floatzel back.

"Good work, buddy." His hand drifted toward his belt, as he stared at Shiva, who smiled back at him coolly.

_He's not even issuing any commands. His Infernape knows exactly what to do on its own._

"All right then, let's give it all we've got!" Ash threw a Pokéball onto the field, calling out his third and final Pokémon of the match. "Staraptor, I choose you!" Staraptor appeared from the Pokéball, flapping its wings in midair.

"It's all up to you, Staraptor! This is our last chance!" Staraptor chirped in acknowledgement.

"Let's start with Aerial Ace!" Staraptor back-flipped once in the air before flying at Hanuman with amazing speed. Hanuman rolled underneath it just in time; he jumped up and spun around in midair to face the bird, and several rocks shot out of the ground and straight at Staraptor's turned back. The Stone Edge hit him with full force, knocking him to the ground.

"…and Staraptor is no longer able to battle! Shiva and Hanuman win!" Oak declared, somewhat taken aback.

Ash called Staraptor back, then looked up at Shiva. "You didn't even issue a single command! And Hanuman doesn't even look tired!" Hanuman ran back to Shiva and leapt onto his shoulder.

"That was simply amazing!" Oak exclaimed gleefully. "The way your Pokémon battled! Such poise, such grace! And he used more than four moves! Tell me, young man, are all of your Pokémon this exceptional?"

"They are," Shiva said.

"But… how is it possible?"

"We train very hard," Athena said. "And Shiva is a great teacher."

"Aww, thanks," Shiva said.

"Ash, are you all right?" Brock said. Ash was completely silent, staring down at the Pokéball in his hand.

"I want to come with you!" he said suddenly, looking intensely at Shiva. "I want you to help me get stronger!"

"Ash, honey, you can't impose on him like that!"

"No, it's not an imposition," Shiva protested. "Brock is already coming with me. I'd be happy to add another member to our team."

"Please mom, can I go?" he begged his mother. She was silent for a few moments.

"All right, I suppose you can go," she finally relented.

"All right!" he said, jumping into the air with excitement. "You hear that, Pikachu? We're going on another adventure!" Pikachu cried out excitedly.


	7. The Road to Viridian City

The early morning sky glowed a pale orange, a light breeze rustling through the grass.

"All right, this way to Viridian City!" Ash said, running ahead. Pikachu bounded happily after him.

"Wait up, Ash!" Brock called out as he ran after him.

"It's nice to see him so excited again," Delia said to Shiva. "It's been so long since he's gone on a journey with his friends."

"What happened?" Athena asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess he got tired of it."

"Well, we'll make sure that he has fun."

"Please take care of him," Delia said. "I know that he's all grown up, and he's been without me for a long time, but I can't help but worry."

"I'll take care of him," Shiva said seriously. "No need to worry."

_Thank you for accommodating us these past few days,_ Auron said as he adjusted the strap of Shiva's bag, which was slung across his chest.

"No, no, it was my pleasure."

"Well," Shiva said, shaking Delia's hand, "we should be going too."

"Take care, Ash!" Delia called, waving.

"Bye mom!"

They began their journey north to Viridian City.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "I can't wait!"

"But Ash, don't you already have all the Kanto badges?" Shiva asked.

"Yeah, but it's going to be exciting watching you battle! We're going to learn a lot!"

"Pika pika!"

"How long is it going to take to get to Viridian?" Shiva asked.

"It shouldn't take more than a few hours," Brock said. "It's not that far from here."

It was just after noon when they arrived at the outskirts of the city. Small houses lined the side of the road, and a small bridge led to a mass of buildings and skyscrapers.

"Wow, that's an impressive city," Shiva said.

"We should go to the Pokémon Center and rest up before we do anything else," Brock said. Ash's stomach grumbled, and his face turned red.

"Well, it looks like we should find somewhere to eat first," Shiva chuckled.

They found a restaurant and sat down to look at the menus.

"Wow, this looks expensive," Ash said, taking out his wallet and pulling out a few measly bills.

"Don't worry, I'll cover it," Shiva said.

"Wow, you don't have to do that!"

"Don't worry about it. Consider it my thanks for coming on this trip with me."

"Wow, thanks, Shiva."

They ordered and ate their food; Pikachu nibbled at an apple that Ash had given him. Shiva pulled his wallet out and handed the waitress a gold card.

"Woah, you have a credit card?" Ash exclaimed.

"You don't?" Shiva said, confused.

"I don't have enough money to even put on one."

"Well then, consider this entire journey paid for," Shiva said. "I've got plenty to spare."

"Well then, we'll just have to pay you back some day."

"It's a deal," Shiva said, laughing. "Now let's go to the Pokémon Center."

They walked out of the restaurant and began walking down the sidewalk when they heard a voice behind them.

"Shiva? Is that you?"

They all stopped and turned around. A tall blonde woman in a long black coat stared back at them. A Garchomp stood behind her.

"And Ash and Brock? What are you guys doing here?"

"Cynthia?" Shiva said, smiling. Athena ran to her and gave her a hug.

"Hey Athena, what's up?"

"It's been so long! How have you been?" Athena replied, a huge smile on her face.

_Hello, Cynthia._ Cynthia waved to Auron, her movements constricted by Athena's embrace.

"Cynthia, what are you doing here?" Ash said, grinning.

"I'm on vacation!" she said, holding up several shopping bags. "See?" Garchomp held up its claws to reveal more bags.

"Are you staying at the Pokémon Center?" Brock asked.

"Oh, no, I'm staying at a hotel. I was just walking back when I bumped into you guys."

"Hey, there are hotels here?" Shiva said.

"Obviously, it's a big city," Cynthia said.

"Hey, let's stay there," Shiva said. "I can get us all rooms."

"No way, that'll be way too expensive," Brock said. "We can't let you keep paying for us."

"It's fine," Shiva said. "Trust me."

"All right then!" Ash said. "Let's go!"

"Follow me!" Cynthia said.

"How do you guys know Cynthia anyway?" Ash asked Shiva as they walked to the hotel.

"We grew up together. We lived close by."

"We didn't grow up together," Cynthia said, laughing. "I used to babysit you." Shiva closed his eyes and sighed.

"Yes, thank you." Brock chuckled.

"Wait a second," Ash said. "Cynthia, I thought you were from Sinnoh?"

"Well, I'm the Champion there," she said over her shoulder. "But no, I'm not originally from there."

"Where are you guys from then?"

"It's a secret!" she said, winking.

"Are you from Hoenn?"

"Not telling!"

"Unova?"

"Not telling!"

"The Sevii Islands?"

_Ash. They're not going to tell you._

"Sorry. I'm just curious."

"Anyway, here we are!" A man in a blue suit opened the door for them, and they all stepped inside.

"Wow," Ash and Brock said as they looked around. Red carpets lined the marble floor, and an enormous crystal chandelier cast a soft yellow light around the room.

"Where are you staying?" Shiva chuckled, as Ash, Brock and Athena collapsed into enormous cushy sofas behind him. "There's no way you can afford this on a League salary."

"Very funny," Cynthia said, as she followed him up to the reception desk. "I'll have you know that this is actually a paid vacation."

"Hi, I'd like three rooms," Shiva said to the concierge. "Nicest ones you have available." He turned back to Cynthia. "Paid for what?"

"To promote Sinnoh and the Lily of the Valley Conference," she said. "Nobody's challenging us anymore. You were the first one in three years to make it through eight gyms, and nobody has challenged us since."

_Apparently, things aren't much different here,_ Auron said.

"Well, it's a good thing we brought Ash with us," Shiva said. "He seemed really excited to finally get back on the road."

"Sir, how many nights will you be staying?"

Shiva looked to Cynthia. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"Oh, about another week," she said. "After that I'm flying over to Goldenrod in Johto for a while."

"We'll be staying for a week," Shiva said. The concierge's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sir, three separate luxury suites for a week? I don't mean to offend, but that's very expensive."

The man swiveled the desk monitor to face Shiva. Cynthia saw the number on the screen and whistled.

"Wow, if I was spending _that_ much I'd be kicked out of the League."

"That's not bad for three suites though," Shiva said. "You're only using one." He handed the concierge his credit card. "That should do it." The man swiped the card, half expecting it to be declined.

"Here you are, sir," he said, handing Shiva a form. "Just sign here please."

As soon as Shiva signed, the man handed him three room keys.

"Actually, can I get two more copies of this one?" he said, handing one of them back.

"Of course." A few minutes later, Shiva had all of the keys in his hand.

"Please enjoy your stay with us. If there's anything at all that you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

"For the money you're paying, you'd better not hesitate," Cynthia ribbed as they walked back to the rest of the gang. Shiva tossed them their room keycards, giving Athena and Auron the two copies of his.

"Wow, thanks!" Ash said. "How much was this?"

"It's better not to ask," Cynthia said. "You would just feel bad."

"It's really no big deal," Shiva laughed. "I've got plenty of money to spare."

"Let's go see the rooms!" Athena said happily. Shiva took the bags from Garchomp, and Cynthia called her back into her Pokéball. They all got into the elevator to the 14th floor.


	8. The Sinnoh Starters

Shiva, Ash and Brock had gotten a row of three rooms right across the hall from Cynthia's. Ash and Brock were getting settled into their rooms, and Auron was taking a nap in Shiva's room. Athena and Shiva were in Cynthia's room as she unpacked her new clothes; Athena helped her as Shiva stared pensively out of the window, a drink in his hand.

"Don't you look important," Cynthia said sarcastically as she opened the closet. "Staring out that window with a soda in your hand."

"I was just thinking," he said.

"About what?" Athena asked.

"Well, Cynthia said that she was trying to drum up interest in the Sinnoh League, right?" He turned to face them.

"I did. And?"

"I was thinking. Not to brag, but you and I are probably two of the best trainers around."

"Is that so?" Cynthia said, folding her arms. "You think you're as good as me?"

"Hey, who's the one who defeated you two years ago in the Sinnoh League?" he said, pointing to himself and grinning. Cynthia's face grew red.

"I was going easy on you," she said. Athena giggled.

"Egotism aside, I think it would be a good idea for the two of us to battle in front of an audience. So we can show them how exciting Pokémon battling is."

"You know what? That's not a bad idea!" Cynthia said excitedly. Then her smile shrunk suddenly.

"What's the matter?" Athena asked.

"Well," she said, "You guys fight without any commands, right?"

"Yes."

"That's going to look way too intimidating to anybody we're hoping to get excited," she said. "They won't have a chance of competing with that."

"No problem," Shiva said. "I can give them commands."

"Can you?" Cynthia asked seriously. "Won't their protective instincts take over?"

"Not in a friendly match," Athena said. "It's not as though we'll be fighting to survive."

"Well, there you go," Shiva said. "Straight from the Pokémon herself." Athena glared at him.

"Sorry, sorry," he said.

"I like your thinking," Cynthia said. "Let's do it."

"Great! When?"

"Well, I had planned to have a bunch of exhibitions and events tomorrow. All my stuff is in a storage a few blocks down."

"Hey!" Athena said. "What if all of us helped you out? That way you won't be running around like crazy!"

"You guys don't have to do that," Cynthia protested. "You're already doing enough by battling me."

"Well, we'd have to ask Brock and Ash first, but I definitely don't have a problem with it. The Gym will still be there the next day."

"You guys are the best," Cynthia said, pulling both of them in for a hug. She let them go, and they backed away.

"You've grown up so much since we lived together back home," Cynthia said. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks," Shiva said, embarrassed.

There was a knock at the door; Cynthia looked through the peephole in the door before opening it. Ash and Brock walked in, Pikachu sitting atop Ash's shoulder.

"Hey, what are you guys up to?" Ash asked.

"We were talking about my presentation to entice people to take the Sinnoh League challenge," Cynthia said. "Speaking of which, can I ask you guys for a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you want to help me out tomorrow? You've both been all across Sinnoh. I'm sure you can share some stories."

"Sure, that sounds fun!" Ash said.

"Count me in," Brock said in agreement.

"Awesome! Shiva and I are going to be putting on a battle demonstration as well, so hopefully we can get some people interested in Sinnoh!"

"Wait a second," Ash said. "Are you going to be fighting with your own Pokémon?"

"That was the plan," Shiva said. "Unless you have a better idea?"

"Well, why don't you use Pokémon that are native to Sinnoh? And then maybe give them out as starters?"

"That's a really good idea, Ash," Cynthia said. "But I don't have any Pokémon with me to give away."

"Hey, why don't you give professor Rowan a call?" Brock said. "I'm sure he'd be happy to help you out!"

"What would I do without you guys?" she said, slipping a sleek black cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed a number and walked over to the window, looking out of it as she waited for the Professor to pick up.

"Hello? Professor? Oh… Hi Dawn! How have you been?"

"Wait, Dawn's there?" Ash said, confused.

"Yeah, she's studying with Professor Rowan," Shiva said. "I ran into her at a few contests when I was in Sinnoh."

"Hello Professor," Cynthia said. "As you might know, the League sent me… uh huh… oh, you already know, great! Listen, I have Shiva, Ash, and Brock here, and they… they're doing fine, yes. Shiva had an idea for the two of us to have a battle demonstration, and Ash suggested that we use Pokémon native to Sinnoh, and give them away as starter Pokémon to some kids. What do you think? You love it? Excellent! I was wondering if you would be able to send some over. I don't have any that I can give away. Uh huh… Oh, you have extra? That's great! I'll go pick them up from the Pokémon Center right away! Thanks!" Cynthia hung up the phone and looked to the group excitedly.

"Guess what? He has extras of all three of the Sinnoh starters! He's sending them over now!"

"We'd better get to the Pokémon Center then!" Ash said, running out of the room.

"He hasn't changed a bit," Brock said, shaking his head and walking out after him.

"Hey Athena," Shiva said. "Why don't you hang out here with Auron?"

"I want to go with you," she said.

"Clingy as ever," Cynthia joked as she walked out of the room. Shiva turned to Athena; she was on the verge of tears.

"Woah, what's the matter?" he said in surprise.

"Nothing," she said shakily, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "Let's go."

_That was weird,_ Shiva thought as they followed after Cynthia, closing the door behind them.

"Hey Ash," Shiva said as they walked to the Pokémon Center, navigating the busy streets. "Why haven't you evolved your Pikachu? It would be a lot more powerful. If you need a Thunderstone I can give you one."

"No thanks," Ash said. "We don't need it! Pikachu is great just the way he is!" Pikachu smiled.

"He's right, you know," Cynthia said. "His Pikachu is really good."

"Hmm," Shiva said. "Well, to each his own."

They finally arrived at the Pokémon Center.

"Hello, and welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Center!" Nurse Joy said. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm expecting a delivery of Pokémon from Professor Rowan in Sinnoh?"

"Oh, of course! They just arrived a few minutes ago!" Nurse Joy's Chansey went into a back room, and reemerged with a tray with three Pokéballs.

"Here you are!" Nurse Joy said, handing the tray to Cynthia. Cynthia grabbed the three of them and called them out. A Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig emerged.

"Aww, they're so cute!" Cynthia gushed. She scooped them all up in her arms, and they nuzzled her happily.

"Perfect," Shiva said. "This'll be great for tomorrow." He plucked Turtwig from Cynthia's arms and looked it over, turning it around and inspecting its shell. He tapped it lightly, and Turtwig giggled.

"She's got a very well-developed shell," Shiva said. "I wonder how old she is."

"I'll use Piplup tomorrow," Cynthia said. "Do either of you want to take care of Chimchar?"

"I'll take him," Brock said. Cynthia placed the Chimchar into Brock's outstretched hands. Shiva handed Turtwig to Athena; it jumped up onto Athena's head and lay there, observing the room. Shiva laughed.

"I guess she likes you," he said.

"All right, let's go back to the hotel for now," Cynthia said. "We need to figure out exactly what we're going to do tomorrow."


	9. Passing Down the Love

"Come on, step right up and learn about the Sinnoh Contest circuit!"

"Come experience the natural splendor and beauty of the Sinnoh region!"

Ash and Brock desperately tried to attract passersby to their respective booths; Pikachu, Chimchar, and Athena tried unsuccessfully to get people to take informational pamphlets on the Sinnoh region. The two booths were set up on opposite sides of the entrance to a large plaza. Cynthia, Shiva and Auron were setting up a stage in the center of the plaza.

"It's no use," Ash said, slumping over the booth counter. "Nobody's coming."

"Hey mister," a voice said. Ash whipped his head up; a young boy was looking at him with interest. "Are you a Pokémon trainer?"

"I sure am!" Ash said excitedly. "That Pikachu over there is my best friend!"

"Wow, Pokémon are so cool! Do you think I could become a trainer?"

"Of course! Anybody–"

"Joey, there you are!" A woman stormed up to the little boy and grabbed his wrist.

"I'm sorry about that," she said to Ash. "He just got away from me."

"It's no problem!" Ash said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, he's a Pokémon trainer! He was telling me that I could be one too!"

"Don't be silly," his mother said, pulling him away. "Training Pokémon is a waste of time. Come on, we have to go to your lesson."

"But mom–"

_Is there a problem?_ Auron had walked up to them to see what was going on.

"Are you… a talking Pokémon?" the woman stuttered in shock.

_You want to be a Pokémon trainer?_ Auron said as he kneeled down in front of the boy.

"Uh… yes…"

_Why don't you stick around for a bit. You'll learn a lot about Pokémon._

"Please mom, can I?" he begged as he stared up at his mom. His mother bit her lip before finally relenting.

"Fine, we can stay. But only for a little bit," she warned. The boy's face lit up.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" he cried, giving her a quick hug. Auron pulled a Pokéball out of Shiva's bag, which was slung across his chest. He called out the Turtwig that Shiva had received the day before.

_This is Turtwig,_ he said to Joey. _Why don't you two get to know each other?_

As Joey and Turtwig played, Joey's mother turned to Ash; over her shoulder, he could see a young couple talking to Brock.

"If you don't mind my asking," Ash began, "why don't you approve of Pokémon training?"

"It's a waste of time," she said. "My Joey should be learning, not playing with Pokémon."

"But you can learn so much from training Pokémon!" Ash said. "That Pikachu over there is my best friend! We've had so many adventures together, and I've learned so much about the world, and I've met all sorts of people and seen so many amazing things!"

"Well, maybe it's just not for everyone," she said, very finally. Ash didn't press the subject.

A few more people were looking at his and Brock's booths, though still a dishearteningly small number.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Cynthia's voice boomed through a megaphone. She, Shiva and Auron were standing atop the finished stage. "Welcome to the Sinnoh Exhibition! I'm your host, the Sinnoh League Champion, Cynthia!" The few people who had gathered clapped for her.

_There's hardly anybody here,_ Shiva thought.

"Please take a look at the exhibitions we have set up for you today," she continued, undeterred. "And please feel free to ask my friends or myself any questions you have! Stick around; we've got a big surprise waiting for you that you _won't_ want to miss!"

A small girl ran up to the stage and looked up at Cynthia. "Excuse me miss?"

Cynthia sat down on the edge of the stage, her legs dangling above the ground. "Hi! What's your name?"

"My name's Rose," she said. She clutched an Aipom doll tightly in her left hand.

"Hi Rose!"

"Are you really a Champion?"

"Sure am!" Cynthia said, smiling. "Do you want to be a Pokémon trainer?" The girl's eyes lit up.

"Yes!" she exclaimed with excitement. Cynthia giggled. The girl's father walked up to them.

"Hi, I'm Rose's father," he said, extending a hand. Cynthia shook it.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you."

"That's amazing! I've never met a professional Pokémon trainer before!"

"Oh, you like Pokémon?"

The man looked around quickly, then leaned in and whispered. "I love Pokémon, but my true love is Pokémon Contests. My wife doesn't know though, so I have to watch competitions in secret."

"Why do you have to do it in secret?" Cynthia looked up; Shiva was talking to some mildly interested looking people.

"Well, my wife thinks that Pokémon training is a waste of time. Sometimes, I think that if I hadn't married her, I would be a professional Coordinator!" He leaned back and laughed. "Isn't that funny?"

"I don't think it's funny at all," Cynthia said. "I think that if that's what you want to do, you should go for it!"

"Yeah daddy, you should do it!"

Cynthia stood up and surveyed the crowd. A decent number of people had gathered, mostly young children who had dragged their parents over.

"Well, I guess now's as good a time as any," she said. "Hey, Shiva!" she yelled, waving him over. Shiva picked up Turtwig and walked over to the stage.

"What's up? You ready?" Joey and Auron were following him. Shiva called Turtwig back into its Pokéball.

"Hey daddy!" Joey said, looking up at Rosa's dad.

"Joey? You're here? If you're here, that means…" he looked around frantically, and saw his wife walking up to him.

"She's going to kill me," he whispered.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Well… I…"

"Daddy wants to train Pokémon!" Rose said happily.

"_What?"_

"Hey, hey, settle down," Cynthia said. "The main event is about to start." She picked up her megaphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," she shouted, as Shiva joined her on the stage, Turtwig in his arms. "The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived!" She and Shiva each tossed a Pokéball high into the air; Jormungand and Cynthia's Milotic appeared on opposite sides of the stage. Milotic used a weak Hydro Pump, which arced gracefully over the stage; Jormungand froze it with Ice Beam, forming an elegant, sparkling archway over the stage. The audience clapped in amazement.

"We in the Sinnoh League want the younger generation to learn all about Pokémon training, and how fun and rewarding it can be! So, we're going to give you a demonstration of one of the most popular aspects of Pokémon training! A professional Pokémon battle, using two of Sinnoh's starter Pokémon!" Ash, Brock, and Athena walked up to the crowd, standing behind them. Pikachu and Chimchar sat atop Ash and Brock's shoulders.

"She sure has a way with a crowd," Brock said.

"So, without any further ado, let's begin the battle!" The crowd cheered as Cynthia and Shiva walked to opposite sides of the stage.

"All right Piplup, let's go!" Cynthia threw the Pokéball into the arena; Piplup burst out, and the crowd clapped.

"All right, Turtwig, let's go!" Shiva threw his Pokéball out, and Turtwig appeared. Another round of clapping.

"Piplup! Use Pound!"

Piplup ran at Turtwig, its arm glowing white.

"Turtwig, use Withdraw!"

Turtwig quickly drew its head and limbs into its shell, just in time to deflect Piplup's attack, which glanced harmlessly off of it.

"Great! Now use Razor Leaf!"

Turtwig popped back out of its shell and begin swinging the branch atop its head around, and razor-sharp leaves shot at Piplup.

"Piplup, dodge it!" Piplup tried to jump out of the way, but stumbled and fell, getting hit by the full force of the attack.

"Piplup, are you all right?" Piplup got back on his feet.

"Pip!" he chirped.

"That's the spirit! Now, use Peck!"

Piplup's beak began to glow white, and it ran at Turtwig again.

"Turtwig! Use Razor Leaf again!"

Turtwig began to whip its head around, but was hit by Piplup's Peck before it could use its attack. It flew backward, landing at Shiva's feet before getting up slowly.

"That's the way," Shiva said, laughing. The crowd cheered.

"All right! Turtwig, Tackle!"

"Piplup, Peck!"

The two Pokémon ran at each other head first and collided, flying backward.

"All right Turtwig, that's enough. Great job." Shiva picked the Turtwig up and tickled its belly, and it laughed.

"You too, Piplup. Great work." Cynthia hugged Piplup, and it nuzzled up to her.

"They were pretty good, considering they've never been in a battle before," Brock said.

"Yeah, Piplup hit a little rough patch with that trip, but he got right back up!" Ash said. "Awesome!"

The crowed clapped and cheered. Shiva and Cynthia walked back to the center of the stage together, still carrying their Pokémon. Brock ran up to the stage, slipping his bag off of his back.

"I have some Potions. I'll take care of them."

"Thanks," Cynthia said, as she and Shiva handed the two Pokémon to Brock. Chimchar hopped down from his shoulder, jumping up and down in front of the other two.

"And that's our show!" Cynthia shouted through the megaphone to much applause. "But stay here, we've got more coming up!"

Shiva looked toward the back of the crowd and saw Nurse Joy's Chansey trying to make its way through the crowd to the front.

_Hey Auron,_ Shiva thought.

_Yes?_ he heard Auron's voice respond in his head. He looked to his right; Auron was standing on the ground next to the stage, looking back at him.

_Can you go see what Nurse Joy's Chansey is doing here?_

Auron ran around to the back of the crowd. Seconds later, he and Chansey were walking back.

_Chansey has something for you._

"Chansey!" it said as it handed Shiva a small bag, smiling. Shiva opened it up and found three Pokéballs.

"Hey, Cyn," he said, waving her over. "Check this out."

"Hey, do you think those are from Professor Rowan?"

"Only one way to find out," Shiva said, pulling out all three Pokémon. He released the Pokémon inside, and a Starly, Shinx, and Buneary appeared.

"They _must_ be from the Professor!"

_Chansey says that Professor Rowan sent them this morning._ Chansey waved goodbye and hopped off the stage.

"All right, now it's time to give out these Pokémon to young trainers looking to write their own Pokémon legends!" Cynthia shouted into the megaphone. "We have six Pokémon to give away, so come on up and see if you're a good match!"

Over the next hour, the six Pokémon were given away. Shiva was talking to Cynthia when he noticed a woman yelling at what appeared to be her husband. Two of the children who'd gotten Pokémon were standing behind him, the little girl clutching her Buneary and the little boy holding Turtwig. Shiva walked up to them, Auron right beside him.

"Is there a problem?"

"I told him, I don't want my children training Pokémon!" the woman yelled. "It's a waste of time, especially since they should be studying and socializing with _humans!_"

"If I may," Shiva began calmly, "you should let them keep them."

"Excuse me? Who asked _you_ for parenting advice?"

_He's right,_ Auron said. _Having a Pokémon for a friend is no different than having a human friend._

"Of course you would say that, you're a Pokémon yourself!"

Ash and Pikachu ran over. "Why is everybody yelling?" The two children were hiding behind their father.

"Because my husband refuses to listen to me! He wants me to let my children _keep_ these pets! They're just going to be a distraction!"

"Hey, Pokémon aren't pets, lady!" Ash yelled angrily.

_Ash, calm down._

"No, I won't calm down! Pokémon are our friends and our partners! You can't just insult them like that!"

"I–"

"He's right, you know," Shiva said, calm as ever. "Pokémon _are_ our partners. There's a lot we can learn from them. Take Turtwig, for example." Shiva bent down and reached his hand out to the boy.

"It's okay, she'll be fine," he said. The boy hesitantly gave Shiva the Turtwig.

"Turtwig and I just met yesterday, and we're already friends," Shiva said, rubbing its belly. Turtwig giggled. "Pokémon deserve our love and affection. They deserve to be treated as equals." He placed the Turtwig down on the ground, and it jumped back into the boy's arms, snuggling up to him. "See? She and your son have already formed an unbreakable bond. Pokémon treat humans better than we treat each other. It's important to have a partner that you can grow with and experience new things with."

The woman was speechless.

"That settles it!" the husband yelled, tears streaming down his face. "I'm going to follow my own dreams, and become a Coordinator!" He pulled a Pokéball from his pocket and threw it, as his wife stared on in shock. A Gyarados appeared.

"Wow, daddy! You have a Pokémon?"

"This is my beautiful Gyarados!" he said, hugging it. "I've been raising her in secret, but now we're going to travel far and wide to win every contest there is!"

Shiva and Ash stared at the man, nonplussed, then slowly turned their attention to his wife, who was oddly silent.

"I think I understand," she said. "Okay then. Follow your dreams," she said, slightly more confidently. "Just remember where your home is."

Ash and Shiva walked away, Auron following behind him.

"That ended well," Ash said. "I'm glad she realized how great Pokémon are!"

"That was an… interesting situation." They walked back to the stage, passing a trash can on the way. The tail of an Aipom doll hung over the edge.


	10. Battle at Viridian Gym

Cynthia heard a knock on her door the next morning; she rolled over in bed to look at the clock on the bedside table. It was noon.

_Shit._

She jumped out of bed, still in her black pajamas, and ran to the door. She opened it to see Shiva standing there with Athena.

"Did you… just wake up?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry! I'll just meet you there, okay?" She slammed the door shut in their faces. Shiva turned to Athena and shrugged, before heading downstairs to meet Brock, Ash and Auron.

"Hey, where's Cynthia?" Ash asked as Shiva and Athena got off the elevator.

"She just woke up," Shiva sighed. "She said she'll meet us there."

"Well, we may as well get some lunch first," Brock said.

"Yeah, good idea!" Ash said.

They walked around for a bit until they found a small sandwich place. They got their food and resumed walking to the Gym.

"This is really good!" Athena said.

"Yeah, it is!" Ash agreed, tearing off a small piece for Pikachu.

They finally arrived at the gym. It was painted gray, with two black staircases leading up to it. Its drab exterior clashed with the greenery surrounding it.

"Wow, it looks a lot different than the last time I was here," Ash said. "I wonder who the new Gym Leader is."

"New?"

"Yeah, the last time I was here, an old lady named Agatha was the temporary Gym Leader."

"Agatha?" Brock asked. "Didn't she used to be part of the Elite Four?"

"Yeah, she did."

"Well, let's find out who's in charge now," Shiva said, walking up the stairs and throwing open the door.

He was about to walk in when he heard the screech of tires behind him. He spun around and saw Cynthia, who jumped out of her black convertible.

"Sorry I'm so late," she said. "I overslept."

"Yeah, I know," Shiva laughed. "Thanks for coming to watch."

"Well, I still have almost a week here," she said. "I can spare a few minutes to watch you get a badge."

"Wow, you're pretty confident, huh, Shiva?" Ash said.

"This? This is going to be no problem."

Shiva took a step into the darkened room and felt along the wall for a light switch. Finding none, he called out Hanuman, whose fiery head cast flickering light over the walls.

"Hello? Anybody here?" Ash called out. There was no response.

"Well, the door was unlocked, so somebody has to be here," Brock said.

A number of purple lights appeared suddenly on the walls, casting an eerie glow around the large hall.

"Wait… those are…"

A large number of Lampent floated ominously by the walls, all staring at the group. Atop a balcony at the far end of the room stood a tall young woman, with silver hair and grey eyes.

"Are you the Leader of this Gym?" Shiva asked.

"Indeed," she said. She jumped from the balcony and floated slowly downward.

"Nice trick," Shiva smirked.

"I am Hitomi, the Leader of Viridian Gym. Do you wish to challenge me to a battle?"

"That's why I'm here."

"Very well," she said. "I will teach you the terrors of Ghost Pokémon."

"I'll referee," Cynthia said. "If you don't mind."

"You are the Champion of Sinnoh, are you not? It would be my honor if you refereed."

"Not at all," she said, walking to the side of the arena.

"This will be a three on three match," Hitomi said. "I will not substitute Pokémon."

Ash, Brock, Auron and Athena stood behind Shiva. Ash was practically shaking with anticipation.

"This is going to be so awesome," he whispered with excitement. Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"And begin!" Cynthia said.

"Come forth, Gengar!" she said. A Gengar materialized in the air behind her and floated to the center of the arena, taunting Shiva by sticking out its long tongue.

"You want to take this one, Auron?" Auron nodded and jumped into the Arena, landing right in front of Gengar.

"I will allow the challenger to make the first move," Hitomi said.

"You know what to do, Auron."

Auron jumped back, and the claws on his fingers became encased in long, sharp shadows. The shadow of the Hone Claws move quickly dissipated.

"You move without your trainer's commands," Hitomi said. "Interesting. Gengar, use Hypnosis."

Gengar pointed its arms at Auron, and black rings of energy emanated from it. Auron leapt to the side to dodge it, then rolled onto his feet and ran at Gengar without breaking stride. His right arm became engulfed in a dark aura, which took the form of a large Shadow Claw. Auron swiped at Gengar, who dodged to the side. Auron's other arm also became engulfed in a Shadow Claw, and he unleashed a flurry of swipes at Gengar, who managed to evade him until Auron swung at his feet. Gengar stumbled while floating in midair, and Auron effortlessly landed several powerful hits before his claws faded away. Gengar fell to the ground.

"Gengar is no longer able to battle!" Cynthia said.

"That was fast," Brock said.

Hitomi called Gengar back into its Pokéball, and pulled out another one. "Come forth, Mismagius!" A Mismagius appeared from the Pokéball, floating in midair.

"Magical Leaf!"

Mismagius began spinning like a top, crying out its own name. A flood of glowing green leaves shot out toward Auron, who jumped and rolled to avoid them. They followed him like missiles, and Auron was unable to dodge them, taking the full force of the attack. Rings of dark Aura energy immediately formed around Auron's wrists, and he fired off a quick Payback, scoring a direct hit on Mismagius, who was still slowing down from its spinning. Mismagius was knocked back, but quickly floated back to face Auron.

"Thunderbolt!"

Mismagius glowed yellow, and a bolt of lightning arced toward Auron. He used Dig to lower himself partway into the floor before getting hit.

"That's amazing," Brock said. "He's grounding himself so that he doesn't take damage from the attack."

The moment the electricity dissipated, Auron leapt into the air and brought his hands behind him, forming a dark, shadowy orb. He released the Shadow Ball at Mismagius.

"Use Double Team!"

Multiple copies of Mismagius fanned out in a circle around Auron; the Shadow Ball struck one and it dissipated.

"There's no way to escape now," Hitomi said. "Use Shadow Ball!"

Dark orbs began forming in front of each of the Mismagius copies.

"Oh no! He's going to get hit by all of them!" Ash cried.

Auron closed his eyes, and the black appendages beneath his ears rose softly. The moment before the Mismagius all released their Shadow Balls, he shot imperceptibly fast at one of them, combining Extremespeed and Shadow Claw into one move. The Mismagius, caught off guard, fell to the ground, all of the other Mismagius and their Shadow Balls dissipating.

"Mismagius is no longer able to battle!"

"Impressive," Hitomi said. "You saw through that very easily."

_I read their Auras,_ Auron said. _And my Hone Claws from before increased my accuracy._

"And you talk too. Interesting. However, you will not get past my last Pokémon." She drew her last Pokéball and threw it into the ring. A Cofagrigus appeared, its four arms waving menacingly.

"Use Will-O-Wisp."

Six light-blue flames appeared and danced around Cofagrigus' body, before shooting toward Auron like bullets. Auron quickly used Protect, and a defensive Aura shield caused the fireballs to dissipate harmlessly. He leapt into the air, Shadow Claw at the ready.

"Psychic."

Auron was suspended in midair, unable to move. His body was surrounded by a light purple glow.

"Oh no," Athena said.

Suddenly, Cofagrigus rose from the ground, surrounded by the same glow that Auron was.

"Woah, he used Psychic right back!" Ash said.

"Now it's just about whose attack is stronger," Brock said.

Auron and Cofagrigus stared each other down in midair. Minutes passed in total silence.

"I've never seen anything like this," Ash said.

Without warning, Cofagrigus plummeted to the ground. As it began to right itself, the purple light surrounding Auron faded, and he used Shadow Claw as he fell to the ground. Cofagrigus went spinning across the room into the wall behind Hitomi, collapsing to the ground.

"Cofagrigus is no longer able to battle!" Cynthia declared. "The winner is Auron!"

Shiva walked up to Auron and put a hand on his shoulder. "Nice job, buddy."

_Thank you._

"That… was… _awesome!_" Ash yelled.

"Great job, Auron!" Athena called.

Hitomi walked up to Shiva. "You've trained your Lucario well."

_Your Cofagrigus put up a good fight._

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like that before," Cynthia said. "That was incredible."

"As proof of your victory, trainer, I present you with this Shadow Badge." She handed Shiva a dark purple badge shaped like a claw.

"That's new," Ash said. "When I was here, I got the Earth Badge."

"That was the old Leader," Hitomi said. "After he left, my grandmother took over until I arrived here from Unova."

"Wait," Ash said. "You're Agatha's granddaughter?"

"Indeed."

"Thanks for the battle," Shiva said. "It was fun."

"Thank you for challenging me," she said. "Very few people come by anymore."

"So we've heard." Shiva pinned the badge to the strap on his bag, right above his Boulder Badge.

"See ya," Shiva said, turning to leave.

"Farewell."


	11. Encounter in the Forest

A week later, Cynthia had parted ways with the group to go to Goldenrod City in Johto.

"So, where to next?" Brock asked Shiva as they left the hotel.

"Why don't you tell me?" he replied. "You guys know Kanto much better than I do."

"Well, we could go north through Viridian Forest back to Pewter City, then go east through Mt. Moon to Cerulean City."

"That sounds fine with me," Shiva said. "How long will the trip take?"

"Probably about a week."

"Well then, we'd better get going," Ash said.

It was late in the afternoon they reached the edge of the forest.

"You guys know how to get through here, right?"

"Yeah, we've done it plenty of times!" Ash said. "Let's go!"

They began their trek through the forest. Metapod and Kakuna hung from trees.

"You have to be really careful not to disturb the Kakuna," Brock whispered. "If they get angry, they'll evolve into Beedrill and swarm you."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," Shiva whispered back.

They continued walking for a few minutes, until they drew near a small hill. They heard footsteps drawing quickly near.

"What is that?" Ash said. They all stopped moving.

A young boy crested the top of the hill, running full speed.

"_Ruuuuuun!"_ he yelled, shooting right past them.

"What is going on…" they turned back to the hill too see an enormous swarm of Beedrill chasing the boy.

"Holy shi–"

"Quick, let's go!" Brock yelled. Ash, Shiva, Auron and Athena ran after him, all following the young boy.

Ash stopped running and turned around. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt into the air and released a bolt of lightning, striking the swarm of Beedrill. Several of them fell, but not enough to make a difference.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Shiva yelled back. "There are too many!"

On the trees around them, more Kakuna suddenly evolved into Beedrill, chasing after them. Ash was now completely surrounded.

"Dammit," Shiva muttered under his breath. "Brock, you go on ahead and look out for that kid!" He ran back toward Ash, followed by Athena and Auron. He could see arcs of lightning emanating from within the wall of Beedrill.

"Jormungand, let's go!" Shiva yelled as he threw a Pokéball, still running. Jormungand appeared and began flying toward the Beedrill; Shiva, Auron and Athena hopped onto his back.

"We need to get rid of those Beedrill! Ash and Pikachu are trapped in there!"

Jormungand nodded and pulled up so that his front was facing the Beedrill, as Shiva, Auron and Athena hopped off his back. He whipped up a powerful Twister with his wings, and the Beedrill were swept up helplessely by the current. Shiva could see Ash and Pikachu in the center of the storm, shielding themselves from the wind. Pikachu looked as though he was about to fall over.

"Keep it up!" Shiva yelled back as he and Athena ran toward the Twister. Shiva nodded at Athena, and she cast a Protect shield around them, and they ran into the storm. Shiva grabbed Ash and Pikachu and pulled them into the shield, and they ran out, Shiva still holding Pikachu. When they were safely behind Jormungand, Athena dropped the Protect shield, breathing heavily.

"Good work, Athena," Shiva said, patting her on the back. She smiled up at him, still panting.

_Is Pikachu all right?_ Auron asked.

"He'll be fine," Ash said, as he took Pikachu back from Shiva.

"All right, let's finish these Beedrill off," Shiva said. "Jormungand, keep it up!" He pulled two more Pokéballs out of his bag and threw them. Hanuman and Seraphim appeared.

"Both of you, use Fire Blast into the Twister!"

Two massive star-shaped balls of fire were launched into the Twister, and everything in it caught fire.

"All right, that's enough," Shiva said. Jormungand's wings slows down, coming to a halt. The Twister dissipated, and all of the Beedrill lay on the ground. They slowly rose up and shook their heads before flying away.

"Good work, guys," Shiva said, calling back Seraphim, Hanuman, and Jormungand.

"Wow, thanks Shiva," Ash said.

"That was very brave of you two, facing all the Beedrill like that."

_And stupid._

"Well, yes, that too," Shiva said, scratching the back of his head.

"I wasn't really thinking," Ash said. "But they would have caught us eventually if we hadn't put up a fight."

"Hey, are you guys all right?" They all turned around; Brock and the young boy were running back to them.

"We're fine!" Ash called back. "Do you have any Potions?"

As Brock tended to Pikachu, Ash turned to the young boy.

"I'm Ash," he said. "What's your name?"

"Charlie," the boy said. "Sorry about earlier."

"Don't worry about it," Shiva said. "I'm Shiva, by the way."

"Did your Pokémon really stop all those Beedrill?" Charlie asked.

"Well, we couldn't have done it without Ash and Pikachu." Pikachu smiled from Brock's arms.

"All better," Brock said, placing Pikachu on the ground.

"Wow, you have a Pikachu?" Charlie exclaimed. "I've been looking for one for weeks!"

"So _that's_ what you're doing in the forest," Brock said. "This is one of the only places in Kanto to find wild Pikachu."

"Yeah. And I found one a few days ago! Its tail had a dent, like this," he said, making a sideways V shape with his fingers.

"That means it's a girl," Brock said. "Female Pikachu have differently shaped tails than males."

"Wow, really?"

"Hey, maybe we can help you find her!" Ash said. "That is, if it's all right with Shiva. He's taking the Kanto Gym Challenge, and we're headed to Cerulean City."

"I don't mind," Shiva said. "It sounds like fun."

"All right, let's do it!" Ash said, high-fiving Charlie. "Pikachu, let's go!"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu ran after the two. Brock chased after Pikachu to catch up. Shiva, Athena, and Auron looked on after them.

_You know that I could find this Pikachu more quickly than them, right?_

"I know," Shiva said. "But where's the fun in that? Tracking down Pokémon on your own is half the fun of catching them."

"So, what should we do?" Athena asked.

"Well, it's a big forest."

_It'll take them forever to search for it without help._

"So, maybe we can give them a nudge in the right direction," Shiva said, walking calmly after the rest of the group. Athena and Auron followed.

"Have you found her yet?" Shiva asked Auron as they drew closer to where the three other boys were meticulously searching among the trees.

_Yes. There aren't many Pikachu in this area of the forest, and she is the only female._

"Are they headed in the right direction at least?" Athena asked.

_Not even a little bit._ Auron pointed behind them and to the left. _She's much further into the forest, back that way._

"Hey, guys," Shiva said, running up to them. "I think I caught a glimpse of your Pikachu back there." He pointed in the general direction that Auron had indicated.

"Awesome, let's go!" Ash said.

"Thanks!" Charlie said before running into the heart of the forest.

"Where exactly did you see the Pikachu?" Brock asked Shiva.

After making sure that Ash and Charlie were far enough away, Shiva turned to Brock. "I didn't. Auron already found her, and I just wanted to give the kid a little help."

Auron suddenly took off running, leaping into the forest.

"What happened?" Brock asked. Shiva closed his eyes, then looked at Athena and ran after Auron.

"The Pikachu is in trouble," Athena said to Brock, before floating after Shiva. Brock ran to catch up with her.

Auron was leaping to the trees when something suddenly collided with him, knocking him back. He looked up; Ash was laying on the ground.

"Are you okay, Auron? I didn't see you there."

_The female Pikachu is in danger,_ he said. _We have to move quickly._

"Oh no!" Charlie exclaimed. Auron looked down at him for a brief moment before scooping him up onto his back.

_Hold on,_ he said to the shocked boy as he resumed bounding through the trees. Ash stood up and brushed himself off, and looked down at Pikachu.

"We have to go help!"

"Pika!"

Ash had gone no more than two steps before he collided with Shiva.

"Sorry, Ash," Shiva said, hoisting him up. "We have to follow Auron!"

"I know, I was just following him!"

"Let's go!" Brock said, and the five of them chased after Auron.

Auron and Charlie arrived in a clearing, where two Shiftry were attacking the female Pikachu, who was curled up into a ball.

"You have to help her!" Charlie exclaimed. Auron glanced down at the boy's waist. Two Pokéballs were attached to his belt.

_You do it._

"W…what? Me?"

_If you want to be that Pikachu's trainer, you need to prove yourself worthy!_

"O…okay!"

_You can do it._

"All right!" Charlie yelled confidently, pulling the two Pokéballs from his belt. "Go, Machop and Pidgeotto!" The two Pokémon appeared, ready to fight. The two Shiftry turned their attention from the Pikachu, and turned to face Charlie and his Pokémon.

"We have to save that Pikachu! Pidgeotto, use Wing Attack! Machop, use Karate Chop!"

Pidgeotto flew at one of the Shiftry and buffeted it with its wings, knocking it off balance. Machop jumped at the other Shiftry and attacked it with the edge of its glowing, opened palm.

"All right, good job!"

The second Shiftry recovered from Machop's attack, and its eyes glowed gold and released a multicolored beam of light at Machop. Machop was launched backward by the Extransensory attack. Meanwhile, the first Shiftry loosed a Razor Leaf attack at Pidgeotto, who had flown up into the air. The attack landed directly, and Pidgeotto spiraled into the ground, coming to rest next to Machop.

"Oh no!" Charlie cried. The Shiftry began to advance toward him menacingly; Auron jumped in front of him, his arms outspread. Machop and Pidgeotto struggled to their feet.

Shiva, Ash, Brock, Athena and Pikachu came bounding into the clearing.

"We have to help him!" Ash said, reaching for a Pokéball. Shiva grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

"This is his fight," he said.

The two Shiftry attacked Auron; he cast an Aura shield in front of him, deflecting their blows.

"Come on guys, get up! You can do it!"

From behind the Shiftry, the female Pikachu looked on in wonder.

Machop and Pidgeotto finally rose up.

"All right! Let's go!"

Auron dropped the protective barrier.

"Machop! Use Karate Chop again! Pidgeotto! Use Quick Attack!"

Pidgeotto attacked one of the Shiftry with amazing speed. Machop jumped up, but instead of Karate Chop, both of his hands began glowing. He crossed them into an X shape as he ran at Shiftry.

Ash and Brock looked on in amazement. "Is that…"

Machop crashed full force into Shiftry with a devastating Cross Chop. Shiftry flew backward into a tree and slid down it, knocked out. Upon seeing his partner felled, the other Shiftry fled deep into the forest.

Machop suddenly began glowing.

"He's evolving!" Brock exclaimed.

A few moments later, a hulking Machoke stood in place of Machop.

"Awesome!" Charlie exclaimed, running up to hug Machoke. "I'm so proud of you!"

"If you've ever wanted to catch a Shiftry, now's the time," Shiva said, walking up to Charlie and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You're right!" Charlie said. He quickly pulled a Pokéball out of his bag and threw it at the Shifrty. In a flash of light, it entered the Pokéball. It shook once… twice… _click._

"All right! I got a Shiftry!" Charlie jumped up and down with excitement.

"You should go make sure Pikachu is all right," Athena said. Charlie nodded and ran over to the female Pikachu, followed by Ash's Pikachu.

"Are you all right?" he asked, picking her up into his arms. Ash's Pikachu peered over his arm.

"Pika…" she cried weakly.

"Don't worry, you're going to be fine," he said, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a Potion and sprayed the Pikachu with it. It winced slightly as the spray hit its skin, but relaxed as the medicine began to take effect. She jumped out of his arms and looked up at him happily.

"Pika!" She hugged his leg.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Athena said.

"I've been looking for you for a while, you know," Charlie said, patting the Pikachu's head. "Do you think… you'd want to come with me?"

The Pikachu turned to Ash's Pikachu. The two said something to each other, and then it turned back to Charlie and smiled.

"Is that… a yes?"

It nodded.

"Awesome! This is the best day ever!" He pulled another Pokéball from his bag and lightly tapped Pikachu's head with it. It entered the ball, which gave a few shakes before becoming still.

_Great job,_ Auron said. _You really proved yourself today._

"Thanks! I couldn't have done it without my friends!" Machoke and Pidgeotto smiled as they all gathered around Charlie.

"Let's get going," Shiva said. It would be nice to make it out of the forest by nightfall."

Once they reached the edge of the forest, the sun had started to set in the sky.

"I'm going this way," Charlie said, pointing to the direction opposite to where Shiva and co. were headed. "My mom is waiting for me at home."

"Well, good luck on your Pokémon adventures!" Ash said.

"I will! Thanks for everything you guys!"

"Take care," Brock said.

As they walked the other way, Shiva noticed Auron smiling slightly.

"He's a pretty good trainer, huh, Auron?"

_He will be great someday. I can feel it._


	12. Not So Great Escape

"All right," Brock said as they left Pewter city the next morning. "We just need to pass through Route 3 to get to Mt. Moon, get through there, and then we'll practically be in Cerulean. There's a Pokémon Center outside the entrance to the caves, so if we need to we can stay for a night."

"Sounds good," Shiva said.

They walked for a few hours without incident. Auron stopped suddenly, spreading his arms out to prevent the rest of the group from going forward.

"Auron, what's wrong?" Athena asked.

Auron plunged an arm into the bushes beside them and pulled out a boy with brown, spiky hair.

"Hey, let me go!" the boy demanded, struggling.

Ash and Brock both stared.

"Gary?"

"Ash?" Auron dropped him.

_This is Gary?_

"Who are you guys?" Gary demanded, jumping to his feet.

"This is your rival?" Shiva said.

"Yeah!" Ash said. "Gary, long time no see?"

"Hold on a second, Ash." He turned to Shiva. "You're the Pokémon abuser, aren't you?"

"Umm, I think there's been a misunderstanding," Shiva said. Athena glared at Gary.

"How dare you!" she said. Gary stared at her.

"…what is going on?"

"These are our friends, Gary! Shiva's taking the Gym Challenge!"

"Oh, is that so?" Gary said. "Why'd your Lucario drag me out of the bushes like that?"

_What were you doing in the bushes in the first place?_

"I'm trying to find someone who's been messing with the Pokémon that live here," he said. "I was about to start setting a trap, then I heard footsteps and I hid."

"What're you doing in Kanto in the first place?" Brock asked. "I thought you were in Sinnoh with Professor Rowan!"

"I'll explain later," Gary said. "I need to set up a trap first."

"Hey, maybe we can help," Ash said.

"Sure, Ash. That would be great."

"What kind of trap do you have in mind?" Shiva asked.

"I was going to use a fake Pokémon to draw the person in, and then dig a pit that they would fall into. But now that all of you are here, I think it would be better to use a real Pokémon."

"If you're looking for rare Pokémon," Shiva said, "why not use Athena?" Athena glowered at him.

"I'm _not_ going to be bait for some creep who'll try to do who-knows-what to me!"

"But it's perfect!" Gary said. "Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoir don't live in the wild in Kanto! There's no way the abuser will pass up this chance!"

"And besides," Ash said, "we'll all be ready to back you up in case anything happens!"

_And even if we weren't, you know that you can take care of yourself._

"Come on, Athena, do it for me?" Shiva said, begging facetiously.

Athena conceded. "Fine," she said, looking away.

"Great!" Gary said, pulling out a shovel. He began digging a pit. "Man, I wish I'd brought a Sandshrew or Diglett with me."

"Maybe we can help," Shiva said, calling out Hanuman. "Hanuman, Auron, help Gary dig."

"That'll still take forever," Brock said, pulling a Pokéball from his own belt.

"Help them dig, Steelix!"

Brock's enormous Steelix dove unto the ground, creating a large hole. It reemerged, and Brock called it back.

"That was much faster," Gary said. "Now we just need a way to disguise the hole."

"Let's get a bunch of sticks and leaves and cover it up," Ash suggested.

Within a half hour, with help from their Pokémon, the group had successfully hidden the trap. They heard hurried footsteps approaching.

"Quick, into the bushes!" Gary hissed, and they all jumped behind the cover of the foliage.

"Not you, Athena!" Shiva whispered, pushing her back out. She was standing right behind the hidden pit.

From around the bend, a dark haired boy with thick glasses approached. When he saw Athena, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Is that… a Gardevoir?" he whispered to himself, adjusting his glasses.

"…Gardevoir," Athena said uncomfortably.

"I've never seen one of those in Kanto before!" The man licked his lips creepily. In the bush, Shiva struggled not to laugh.

"I'm going to do so many experiments on you," the man said, pulling a Pokéball from his belt. "Go Parasect!"

"_He's going to battle her?"_ Ash hissed.

"_He needs to walk into the pit,"_ Gary whispered back. _"This isn't going how I'd hoped."_

"Parasect! Use Spore!"

Parasect aimed the top of its mushroom at Athena, and released a cloud of yellow powder. Athena used Protect, shielding herself from the attack.

"_Auron, tell her to let them attack her, then act like she's fainted,"_ Shiva whispered. Auron nodded and closed his eyes. Over the tops of the bushes, Shiva saw Athena look incredulously in his direction, before snapping her gaze back to Parasect.

"Oh, you're not going to fight back? But that's half the fun! Parasect! Use Flash!"

Parasect's eyes released a sudden flash of bright light; Athena recoiled.

"Now use Spore again!"

This time, Athena fell to the ground, eyes closed.

"_She's pretty good at acting,"_ Gary whispered.

_No, she actually fell asleep,_ Auron said. Shiva was barely able to contain his laughter.

"All right!" the man said, calling his Parasect back. He ran toward Athena.

"Woah, what–" His exclamation was cut short as he tumbled into the pit dug out by Steelix.

"Hey, what gives?" he called up out of the hole.

Gary, Ash and Shiva stood over the lip of the hole as Brock and Auron went to help Athena.

"We caught you!" Gary said. "That's what you get for abusing Pokémon!"

"Yeah, not so tough now, are you?" Ash called down. Shiva just smirked at him.

The man glowered at them.

"So this whole thing was a trap?"

"Sucks to be you!" Athena said as walked over to the hole, making a face.

"You're not even a real Pokémon!" he yelled.

"Excuse me?" she yelled back. "I am too!"

"No way! Pokémon don't talk!"

"Shut up," Gary said. "I already called Officer Jenny. She's on her way to pick you up."

"Not if I escape!" he yelled, throwing a Pokéball. "Weezing! Use Smokescreen!"

A cloud of thick green smoke engulfed everybody present.

"This smells awful!" Ash yelled, holding his nose.

Holding his nose, Shiva pulled a Pokéball out of his bag. "Sheraphim, use Defog!"

The smoke cleared, thanks to Seraphim. Shiva saw the man escaping in the other direction.

"I don't think so," he said, jumping onto Seraphim's back. Seraphim shot like a bullet at the man, as the rest of the group looked on. Within a few seconds, Shiva and Seraphim had caught up to him.

"Seraphim! Use Psychic!"

The man became encased by a glowing purple aura, unable to move. Shiva jumped off of Seraphim and tackled him to the ground.

"You're not getting away," Shiva said.

The man threw a Pokéball at Shiva's face, and Shiva released him in surprise.

"What the hell was _that?_" Shiva exclaimed, as a Tangrowth appeared from inside.

"Tangrowth! Use Constrict on the Trainer!"

"Wha…" Shiva trailed off as he was gripped by the Tangrowth's powerful attack, squeezing all the air out of his lungs. Out of the corner of his blurring vision, he saw the man running away.

Suddenly, he saw a fist wreathed in flames make solid contact with Tangrowth's head, and the vines released him. He collapsed to the ground, coughing, and looked up. Athena was straddling Tangrowth's fallen body, assailing it with Fire Punches, though it was clearly already knocked out. Auron ran past them and jumped onto Seraphim's back, and they raced after the man.

"Athena…" Shiva said weakly. Tears streamed down her frenzied eyes, and she didn't hear him as she continued to punch Tangrowth.

"Athena, it's all right," Shiva said, standing up with some difficulty and pulling her away. "Relax."

She looked up at him before hugging him fiercely, sobbing onto his shoulder.

"Ow… Athena, that hurts…"

She quickly release him.

"Sorry," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Thanks for helping," Shiva said. Ash, Gary and Brock finally caught up with them.

"Shiva, are you all right?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine," he said. "That guy escaped again, but Auron and Seraphim went after him."

Auron and Seraphim pulled up beside the man, who reached to his belt and produced another Pokéball. He threw it into the air, and a Fearow appeared, swooping down beside him as he hopped on and pulled into the sky.

_Let's go, Seraphim,_ Auron said. Seraphim cried out determinedly and followed.

"Fearow, use Razor Wind!"

Fearow spun around in midair and flapped its wings violently, causing blades of wind to fly at Seraphim and Auron. Auron leapt over them as Seraphim dove under them, and they rejoined behind Fearow. Before Fearow could recover and face them, Seraphim and Auron both fired off several Aura Spheres, bombarding Fearow with the orbs of blue energy. It crashed to the ground below, and the man stumbled off of it, before running again.

_Idiot,_ Auron thought to himself as he leapt from the sky, tackling the man and pinning him to the ground. The man struggled beneath him, reaching for the last Pokéball on his belt. Auron twisted his arm behind his back and pinned it there with his knee.

Gary and Ash came running up.

"Good work, Auron!" Gary said.

"Yeah, you were awesome too, Seraphim!" Ash said. Seraphim smiled up at him.

_Is Shiva all right?_

"He's fine," Gary said. "How's our friend?"

_He's been better,_ Auron said, smirking.

A motorcycle skidded to a stop behind them, and Officer Jenny hopped off.

"Good work, Gary," she said. "And thank you all for helping catch this scum." Auron released the man, and Jenny cuffed him and dragged him back to her bike.

"Do you need any help getting back to town? I can send a car."

"I think we're all right," Ash said. "Thanks though."

Jenny nodded and drove off, the man cuffed to the back of the bike.

A few minutes later, the group had all reconvened.

"That was an interesting day," Shiva said.

"What are going to happen to his Pokémon?" Brock asked.

"They're going to be adopted," Gary said. "They're not bad Pokémon. They just had a bad trainer."

"We should get going," Ash said, shaking Gary's hand. "It was great running into you!"

"You too, Ash," he said. "And thanks to all of you for your…"

He was cut off by a brutal roar emanating from above. They all snapped their attention skyward. An enormous Hydreigon descended upon them, firing off multiple Fire Blasts from its three mouths. Auron cast an aura shield around the group, protecting them, as the Hydreigon landed. Several six-wheeled tank-like vehicles pulled up next to it on the grass. A silver-haired man stood atop the dragon, wearing a black ballistic vest with grey pants and red sleeves. Mounted on his left arm was a machine that vaguely resembled a turret-mounted gun. A black visor obscured his eyes.

"Who is that?" Ash said in shock.


	13. Enter K

"My name is K," the man said from atop his Hydreigon. His voice had a hard, steely edge to it. "With her dying breath, my sister made me swear that I would avenge her death by killing you and your friends, Ash Ketchum! And now, I've finally found you!"

"Ash, did you kill someone?" Shiva asked incredulously.

"What? No! I don't know what you're talking about!" he yelled back at the man.

"My sister, J! She died because you meddled in her business!"

"Wait, you mean Pokémon Hunter J?" Gary yelled. "From Sinnoh?"

"That's enough questions!" he yelled. His Hydreigon roared. "I was hired to capture that Gardevoir! Once I've done that I'll deal with you!"

He pointed the machine mounted on his arm at Athena.

"What do you want with Athena?" Shiva yelled.

"I was hired to capture her. And as soon as I've done that, I'm going to kill the rest of you. Business before pleasure, after all," he said, chuckling. A thin beam of yellow light shot out of the cannon at Athena, who used Reflect to dissipate the beam. Everyone scattered, Athena staying close to Shiva. Hydreigon roared again.

"Hydreigon! Dark Pulse!"

A swirling beam of dark energy shot from each of Hydreigon's mouths, as Hunter K hopped down. Shiva threw a Pokéball at the dragon as he ran.

"Jormungand, take out that Hydreigon!"

Jormungand erupted from the Pokéball and tackled Hydreigon. The two Pokémon tore at each other as Hunter K threw two more Pokéballs.

"Galvantula! Kingler!"

The two Pokémon appeared, staring down Shiva and Athena. In the distance, Shiva could see Ash and Pikachu, Brock and Croagunk, Gary and an Umbreon, and Auron fighting off a large number of uniformed men and their Pokémon.

"Kingler! Use ViceGrip!"

Kingler grabbed for Athena with its massive claw. She used Protect, shielding herself. K noticed Shiva reaching for his bag.

"Galvantula! Electroweb on the trainer!"

Shiva looked up in shock as a pulsing yellow web collided with him, knocking him back into a tree and binding him there. Electricity surged through his body, and he went limp, kept upright only by the web.

"_No!"_ Athena yelled. Kingler became surrounded by a purple light, and he floated into the air and crashed into Galvantula and K, trapping him beneath his Pokémon. Athena rushed to Shiva's side.

"Shiva! Shiva, wake up!" She lifted his head. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was faint.

She was so focused on Shiva that she didn't notice Hunter K dislodge himself from beneath his Pokémon and point his cannon at her. The beam of light hit her square in the back, and she turned to stone.

A few hundred feet away, Ash, Brock, Gary and Auron were being assailed from all sides by trainers and their Pokémon.

"There are too many of them, Ash!" Brock said as he recalled his Croagunk and sent out his Steelix. Auron leapt onto Steelix's head and began firing off Aura Spheres and Dark Pulses.

"We have to keep fighting!" Ash was commanding both his Pikachu and his Sceptile.

Auron suddenly leapt off of Steelix's head and ran off.

"Auron! Where are you going?" Brock called. "Steelix! Dragonbreath!"

A disc and tall glass dome floated toward Athena from one of the tank-like vehicles on the hill. They closed around Athena's body, trapping her stone form. It floated back to the vehicle, and Hunter K smiled devilishly.

"Now, there's just one more thing to take care of," he said to no one in particular. He looked over to his Hydreigon; it was fighting a losing battle against Jormungand.

"Hydreigon! Return!" Hydreigon disappeared into its Pokéball in a flash of red light. He called back his Galvantula and Kingler as well. K walked calmly toward Ash, Brock, and Gary, who were still fighting against his men. Out of nowhere, he felt a very solid something collide with him, and he dropped to the ground. He looked up; Auron had him pinned down.

_What did you do to Athena?_ he demanded, grabbing his throat. K reached for a Pokéball and threw it, and his Galvantula appeared.

"Electroweb!"

Auron dodged it, releasing K in the process. K threw two more Pokéballs, and Kingler and an Exploud appeared.

"Exploud! Uproar! Kingler, Crabhammer! Galvantula, keep using Electroweb!"

Auron now had to contend with both Galvantula's Electrowebs and Kingler's relentless Crabhammers, while Exploud's Uproar destroyed his sense of balance. Within a few seconds, he was trapped beneath Galvantula's Electroweb. Electricity coursed through him, and he collapsed, his vision blurring as he saw Hunter K recall his Pokémon before turning his back and walking back toward Ash and his friends.

Auron quickly shook his head, forcing himself to his feet. He surrounded himself with an Aura shield, and was released from the web. He sprinted to the tree where Shiva was pinned and reached into his bag, pulling out three Pokéballs. He released Hanuman, Freyr, and Seraphim, quickly showing them what had happened through his telepathy. Hanuman and Freyr nodded, running toward Jormungand, and Auron mounted Seraphim and they shot toward Hunter K, who had neared the battle site. Auron saw K direct the cannon on his arm at Ash, and Seraphim flew in front of it as Auron hopped off, using Reflect. The reflective shield dissipated the beam, and Ash looked up in surprise.

"What happened to Shiva?"

_Not now, Ash!_ Auron grabbed K from behind, forcing his arms up to prevent the cannon from hitting anybody.

"Electivire! Use Thunderbolt on the cannon!" Gary yelled. The two horns on Electivire's head glowed, and it released a bolt of lightning at the cannon on K's arm, which shattered.

"Fine then," K smirked. "I'll just finish you off another day." He whistled loudly, and all of his men and their Pokémon retreated to their vehicles.

_They can get away, but you won't,_ Auron said.

"Think again," he said.

"What's that sound?" Brock said. In the distance, the faint fluttering of wings could be heard. Gary looked up.

"Look! It's a swarm of Golbat!"

The Golbat began attacking the group, forcing Auron to release K. K sent out his Hydreigon and jumped onto its back, flying away, followed by the Golbat. As he flew into the distance, an enormous airship materialized in the sky.

"Woah, it's just like Hunter J's!" Ash said.

_They got Athena,_ Auron said. He was panting from fatigue.

"_What?"_ Gary, Ash and Brock exclaimed in unison.

"Where's Shiva?" Ash asked again.

_We don't have time to worry about him right now._ They all looked into the sky.

"What are we going to do?"

_Give me a second._ Auron closed his eyes in concentration, then opened them again. Jormungand was flying toward them with Hanuman and Freyr.

_I have a plan._ Auron called Hanuman and Freyr back into their Pokéballs, then mounted Jormungand. _Gary, come with me. Ash, you take your Staraptor, and Brock, take Seraphim._

"What are we supposed to do?" Gary asked.

_Just trust me. I'll tell you what to do._ Ash called out Staraptor, and Brock mounted Seraphim as Gary and Auron hopped on to Jormungand's back. Jormungand bent his knees, then launched himself skyward, followed closely by Ash, Pikachu and Staraptor and Brock and Seraphim. K and Hydreigon had already boarded the airship, and as the group grew nearer, it vanished again.

_Dammit!_ Auron closed his eyes again in though.

_Okay. New plan. But your Pokémon may take a bit of a hit._

"We're ready," Ash said. "We need to save Athena." Pikachu, Staraptor, and Seraphim cried out in agreement. Jormungand nodded.

_All right. The Pokémon all know what to do. Let's go._

"Wait, they do?" Gary said, as Jormungand shot off again, as Seraphim and Staraptor followed at a distance.

When they had reached the approximate area that the airship had been in, Jormungand released a powerful Sandstorm, clouding the sky with gritty sand. From inside the storm, Auron could just barely make out the outline of the airship as the tiny grains of sand bounced off of it. He and Gary leapt from Jormungand's back onto the ship, hearing the metal _clang_ of their feet hitting the surface, though all they could see was sand. He released Hanuman from his Pokéball as Staraptor and Seraphim flew into view.

"How are you guys standing in the air like that?" Ash called out over the violent wind.

"We're on the ship!" Gary yelled back. "Help us find a hatch or something!"

Ash and Brock leapt down, and Ash called back Staraptor as Seraphim flew back out of the sandstorm. Everybody felt around, looking for a way in.

"_Pika pi!"_ Pikachu yelled, having found a hatch. The Sandstorm subsided, and the group was left standing on the invisible airship.

"This is making me nauseous," Ash said, as Brock crawled over to Pikachu and opened the hatch. The group slipped in quietly and found themselves in a small, dark room, illuminated by the flame on Hanuman's head. On the opposite side was a door. Ash ran toward it, but Auron grabbed him by the collar, yanking him back.

_Wait._

Outside, faint footsteps grew louder.

"Yeah, some freak sandstorm, I guess."

"Well, we have full visual now, so I guess we're going to go see K's client."

The footsteps faded away, and Auron let go of Ash.

_All right. Ash and Staraptor will stay here and make sure that our way out is secure. Brock, you go with Hanuman to find Athena. I'm going to go with Gary._ They all nodded affirmatively, and slipped quietly out the door, running in opposite directions.

Gary and Auron ran by many rooms. Thanks to Auron's ability to read Auras, they soon found the door that she was behind.

_She's not the only one in there,_ Auron said, before mentally alerting Brock and Hanuman to their location.

"Well, we'll just have to fight," Gary said, grabbing three Pokéballs from his belt.

Auron nodded. _Ready?_

"Ready."

Auron kicked down the metal door and lunged through it. He looked around quickly as the three men inside stared at him in shock before reaching for their Pokéballs. He spotted Athena's stone form in her glass dome in a corner on the left side of the room.

"Electivire! Umbreon! Blastoise! Let's go!"

The other three men sent out their own Pokémon, and they began to battle. Auron took a look at the disc the dome was placed on, and found a slider which was positioned all the way up. He slid it down halfway, and Athena's top half turned back to normal.

"Auron? Thank goodness you're here! Where's Shiva?"

Auron turned the slider all the way down, then shattered the glass with a Brick Break.

_He's not here right now. We have to get back to him._

Auron and Athena ran out of the room, Gary following close behind, as the men chased him. An alarm sounded, and suddenly they were being chased by even more men and their Pokémon. From the other side of the hallway, they saw Brock and Hanuman running toward them. They met at the door they had come in through, and tried to open it, only to find it locked.

"Great," Gary said, turning to face the men chasing him, as Brock and Hanuman did the same.

"We can't hold them off for long," Brock said.

_Don't worry. Help is on the way._

The ship suddenly lurched backward, and everyone was thrown against the wall. Auron took the moment of confusion to use Giga Impact on the door, blasting it from its hinges.

_Let's go,_ Auron said, and ran into the room and out of the hatch in the ceiling. Athena lifted Brock, Hanuman, Ash, Pikachu and Staraptor through with Psychic, before floating out herself. They closed the hatch immediately, before anybody else could follow them out.

"What was that?" Ash said.

_Jormungand. Let's go._ He ran to the edge of the now-visible airship and jumped off, landing on Jormungand's back.

_Quickly._

Athena nodded and jumped on with him, followed by Gary. They flew back toward Shiva. Ash and Pikachu mounted Staraptor, and Seraphim flew toward Brock and let him hop on before following the rest of the group.

Before they'd even touched down, Athena and Auron jumped from Jormungand's back and ran toward Shiva. Auron received a mild shock as he tore away the web that bound him to the tree. Shiva collapsed, still unconscious, and Auron caught him.


	14. A Stone Cold Victory

Shiva opened his eyes slowly. He was laying in the grass; Athena and Pikachu were staring down at him. Athena was crying.

"Thank Arceus you're all right!" she exclaimed, grabbing his arms and hugging him.

"Ow, Athena, hold on," Shiva said, sitting up and shaking his head. "What happened?"

"K captured Athena, but we rescued her," Gary said. "Thanks to Auron."

"I'm glad you're all right," Shiva said. "Thank you guys so much."

"Hey, you have to help your friends out, right?" Ash said.

"How are _you_ feeling?" Brock asked Shiva. "It looked like you got hit pretty hard."

"I'm fine," Shiva said. "My head hurts, but that's about it."

"We should go back to settle down for the rest of the day to make sure you're all right," Brock said.

"No, I'm fine," Shiva said, standing up shakily. He took a step and stumbled; Gary caught him under the arms as he fell.

"You definitely need to take a break," he said. "You're in no shape to travel right now."

"Are you going to stick around, Gary?" Ash asked.

"I can't," Gary said. "I'm worried about this Hunter K guy. He said he was hired to capture Athena. I need to do some research and figure out what's going on."

"Wow, thanks Gary," Athena said.

"No problem. Scumbags like that need to be taken care of."

"It was great to meet you," Shiva said from the ground.

"You too. Take it easy," he said. "I'll be in touch."

"See ya!" Ash called out as Gary walked away.

"We'll set up camp," Brock said to Shiva. "You just rest."

"No problem," Shiva said as he lay in the grass. Auron went to help Brock and Ash as Athena sat down next to Shiva.

"I was really worried about you," Athena said.

"Forget about me, what about you? How'd you get captured?"

"I tried to rescue you after that Galvantuala used Electroweb," Athena said. "And I wasn't paying attention."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," Shiva said. "Everyone's fine."

"Who would have paid to capture me?" Athena asked uncomfortably.

"No idea. But Gary said he'll find out." He sighed. "Kanto is a strange place."

The next day, the group found themselves in front of Mt. Moon.

"It's enormous," Shiva said in awe. "How long is it going to take us to get through?"

"Hopefully not more than a day," Brock said. "Shall we?"

They descended into the cave and were quickly plunged into darkness. There was a leathery flapping of wings, and Athena shrieked.

"Relax, it's probably just a Zubat," Brock said.

There was a flash of red light, and Hanuman appeared, lighting the tunnel. A Sandshrew quickly burrowed underground.

_This… is a long tunnel,_ Auron said.

"Well, we'd better get moving then," Shiva replied.

As they walked, they heard a soft, repetitive _plink_, which gradually grew into a much louder _THUNK_ as they grew closer.

"What the heck is that?" Ash said. The tunnel curved and opened into a large cavern. A silver-haired man swung with a pickaxe at the far wall. An Excadrill stood next to him, digging into the rock with its claws.

Brock stared in shock. "Is that…"

"Steven Stone?" Ash called out. The man and his Excadrill turned, and the man's face lit up in recognition.

"Ash Ketchum? And Brock?"

"Steven, how's it going?" Ash said, running up to him.

"Pretty good!" Steven said, laying down his pickaxe. "You look well!"

"I've been awesome!"

"I don't believe we've met," Steven said, extending a hand to Shiva.

"I'm Shiva," he said, taking it. "Nice to meet you. These are my friends Auron, Athena, and Hanuman." Greetings were exchanged.

"Your Pokémon can talk? That's impressive."

"What are you doing here in Kanto?" Ash asked him.

"Looking for rocks," he said. "Moon Stones, specifically. I've heard that the ones from here are more potent than the ones in Hoenn and Sinnoh."

"That makes sense," Shiva said.

"So, what brings the three of you here?"

"We're taking on the Indigo League," Athena said. "We're heading to Cerulean to get our third badge."

"That's great," Steven said. "Is this your first league challenge?"

"We ran through the Ever Grande Conference and Lily of the Valley Conference already, actually," Shiva said. "This'll be our third league challenge."

"That's impressive," Steven said. "I'm actually from Hoenn. Believe it or not, I used to be the Champion!"

"Hey Steven, can we have a battle?" Ash asked. "I remember how powerful you were with your Aggron back in Granite Cave. I want to see how much better I've gotten."

"Sure, we could use a break, couldn't we, Excadrill?" Excadrill nodded. "How does three-on-three sound?"

"Fine with me!" Ash said. "This is going to be my first real match since leaving Pallet Town!"

They squared off in the center of the large cavern. Brock stood between them, ready to referee.

"This will be a three-on-three match! Both sides may substitute Pokémon! And… begin!"

"Sceptile, I choose you!" Sceptile appeared, a twig hanging from the corner of its mouth.

"Go, Aggron!" Aggron appeared, roaring.

"All right Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!"

Green light glowed around the leaves on Sceptile's wrists, forming twin blades. Sceptile ran at Aggron, arms crossed, and sliced at him. Aggron stumbled back, but quickly recovered.

"All right Aggron, use Dragon Claw!" Aggron's claws glowed white, and it slashed at Sceptile.

"Use Agility to dodge it!" Ash called out. Sceptile jumped out of the way just in time.

"Thunder!" Steven called out. Aggron pointed its arms at Sceptile, and a wicked bolt of lightning hit him in midair. Sceptile crashed to the ground and struggled back to his feet.

"You can do it, Sceptile! Use Leaf Blade again!"

Sceptile ran at Aggron, arms crossed.

"Hyper Beam!"

As Sceptile ran at Aggron, an orange ball of energy began to form in its mouth.

"You can do it, Sceptile!"

_He's not thinking very stragetically,_ Auron said to Shiva and Athena.

Sceptile leapt at Aggron, just as Aggron loosed the cannon of energy from its mouth. Sceptile took the full force of the attack and hit the ground.

"Sceptile is no longer able to battle!" Brock declared.

"Get some rest, Sceptile," Ash said, recalling him into his Pokéball.

"Come back, Aggron," Steven said.

"Get in there, Pikachu!" Pikachu bounded to the center of the room, cheeks sparking with anticipation.

"Heatran, let's go!" Steven tossed a Pokéball into the makeshift arena and a Heatran appeared.

"Woah, where'd you get that?" Ash asked in amazement.

"Stark Mountain," Steven said. "I have a house nearby. But enough talking, get on with the battle!"

"Right! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

A jolt of electricity shot from Pikachu's body into Heatran. Heatran slid back slightly, but shook off the attack easily.

"Use Earth Power!"

Heatran roared and stomped its feet. Glowing cracks formed in the ground and shot toward Pikachu, knocking him into the air.

"Looks like he hasn't forgotten much," Shiva said. Pikachu landed with a _thud_, and did not get back up.

"Pikachu is no longer able to battle!" Brock declared.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Ash picked Pikachu up into his arms, and Pikachu smiled weakly back up at him.

"It's all up to you, Floatzel!" Ash threw the ball and Floatzel appeared, arms crossed.

"Good choice," Steven said. "Heatran, use Sunny Day!"

A ball of light formed in Heatran's mouth and shot to the ceiling of the cavern, casting a bright light.

"I think I know what's going to happen," Shiva said to Auron and Athena.

"Aqua Jet, now!"

Floatzel cloaked itself in water and shot toward Heatran like a bullet, knocking it off balance.

"Nice one, Ash!" Brock called.

"Heatran, Earth Power!"

"Floatzel, dodge it!"

Floatzel leapt gracefully into the air, avoiding Heatran's attack.

"Great! Now use Water Pulse!"

Floatzel landed and began forming an orb of water in its hands.

"Heatran, Solar Beam!"

A ball of intense white light formed in front of Heatran's mouth, drawing energy from the Sunny Day. Floatzel loosed its orb of water, as Heatran's Solar Beam erupted from its mouth, blowing apart the Water Pulse into tiny droplets and engulfing Floatzel. Floatzel flew across the cavern and fell to the ground, defeated.

"Called it," Shiva said.

"Floatzel is no longer able to battle! The winner is Steven!"

"Good job, Floatzel," Ash said as he recalled him.

"That was not too bad, Ash," Steven said to him, walking up to the group.

"What are you talking about? I didn't beat a single one of your Pokémon!"

"You just have to keep practicing, that's all."

"I've been practicing for four years now. I should be better than this."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Shiva said, putting hand on his shoulder. "Sure, you have a lot to learn. But who doesn't?"

"Just keep at it, and you'll keep getting better," Steven said. "Can you honestly say that you haven't improved since you started your journey?"

Ash looked at Pikachu, who smiled at him.

"I guess you're right," he said.

"Hey Steven, how'd you like to fight me?" Shiva said. "I defeated Wallace in Hoenn. I want to see how you compare."

"You beat Wallace?" Steven asked in surprise. "The Hoenn Champion?"

"There weren't enough people entered in the conference, so all I had to do was face the Elite Four and the Champion in order," Shiva said. "We pulled through."

"I'd be happy to face you," Steven said. "But I don't think my Pokémon are up to it yet. They haven't recovered from the last battle."

"Blissey and I can take care of them," Brock offered, calling out his Blissey.

An hour later, Shiva and Steven were facing off in the center of the cavern. Steven's face was intense; Shiva looked calm and assured.

"This will be a three-on-three match! Substitutions are allowed! And… begin!"

"Metagross, let's go!" Steven said, throwing his Pokéball into the ring.

"Let's do this, Seraphim," Shiva said as he casually tossed a Pokéball into the arena. Seraphim appeared, hovering in midair.

"Metagross, use Meteor Mash!"

Metagross' metal fist began glowing gold, and it punched at Seraphim, who effortlessly guarded against it with Protect, before retaliating with a swift and powerful Fire Blast. Metagross skidded backward before recovering. Steven's eyes widened in surprise.

"Use Psychic!"

Seraphim was surrounded by a faint purple light and was suddenly slammed into the ground. The light faded, and Seraphim rose up out of the ground, shaking its head. It scowled at Metagross, and released a searing Flamethrower. Metagross collapsed to the ground.

"Metagross is no longer able to battle!"

"That was impressive," Steven said as he called back his Pokémon. "Your Pokémon is well trained." He grabbed another Pokéball from his belt.

"Let's go Claydol!" Claydol appeared, levitating in front of Seraphim.

"Use Light Screen!" A golden prism appeared around Claydol before fading.

"Clever," Shiva said. "But that won't save you."

A sphere of purple energy formed in front of Seraphim's mouth, and it fired the Shadow Ball straight at Claydol. It passed through the Light Screen and its power decreased before it hit Claydol.

"All right Claydol, use AncientPower!"

A silver ball of energy formed between Claydol's hands and shot at Seraphim. Seraphim avoided it and collided into Claydol with Extremespeed.

"Your Light Screen won't stop that," Shiva taunted as Claydol flew backward, before slowly righting itself.

"AncientPower, once more!"

Again, the silver ball of energy formed. A white ball of energy formed in Seraphim's mouth. As Claydol launched its AncientPower, Seraphim let loose a devastating Hyper Beam, obliterating Claydol.

"And Claydol is no longer able to battle!"

"You're a formidable opponent, I'll give you that," Steven said. "But let's see you stop Aggron!"

Shiva recalled Seraphim. "Let's give someone else a turn," he said. "How about you, Athena?"

"Okay," she said, floating gracefully to the center of the arena. Aggron appeared, towering over her menacingly. She shifted her eyes uncomfortably.

"Aggon, use Earthquake!" Shockwaves emanated from Aggron's feet as it stomped. Athena blocked with a quick Protect. She gathered a large orb of blue energy between her palms, then fired off the Focus Blast at Aggron, who took the full force of the attack, stumbling backward. He righted himself, shoulders sagging, barely able to stand.

"He's almost out," Shiva said. "His Sturdy saved him."

"Aggron, return," Steven said. "I concede this match. We don't need to go any further."

"Nice job, Athena," Shiva said as he high-fived her.

"Your Pokémon are excellently trained," Steven said.

"Thanks," Shiva said. "Yours were great too."

"You don't need to do that," Steven laughed. "We didn't stand a chance against you."

"Well, he did beat two league champions," Ash said, grinning. "I guess you can add another one to the list!"

"I'd love to battle you again someday," Steven said. "I'm sure you'll have no problems on your league challenge, with your level of skill."

"Even if we do, it's all part of the fun, isn't it?" Shiva said. Auron and Athena nodded.

"We have to get back to digging," Steven said. "You guys can stick around and chat if you're not in a hurry."

"Actually, we were hoping to get out of the caves by nightfall," Brock said.

"I understand," Steven said. "I need to find these stones as soon as possible anyway. I have to attend a conference in Oreburgh next week."

Shiva pulled a sleek phone out of his pocket. "Why don't we exchange numbers? That way we can keep in touch."

"Sure," Steven said, pulling out his rugged phone. They exchanged numbers and said their goodbyes, and Shiva, Ash and Brock continued on their way.


	15. Making a Splash

Shiva awoke to the wooden ceiling of the Cerulean Pokémon Center the next morning. Brock and Ash were sleeping in bunked beds on the other side of the room, Pikachu curled up next to Ash. Auron and Athena lay below Shiva.

Shiva swung his legs over the side of the bed and dropped silently to the floor. He grabbed a change of clothes from his bag, had a quick shower, and walked outside. The sky was a cloudless, vivid blue. Athena was sitting on a bench, waiting for him.

"Good morning, Athena," he said, laughing.

"How did you sleep?" she asked him.

"Not bad. Why are you awake so early?"

"Well, you got up, so I got up."

"I was just going to go for a walk."

"I'll come with you," she said. In the early hours of the morning, there were hardly any people around. "It's so quiet." She yawned.

"You should have stayed in bed," Shiva said.

"I don't like leaving you alone," she said.

"You know that I'm not going to die if I take a walk by myself, right?" Shiva said lightly. Athena looked upset, so Shiva dropped the subject.

Small shops lined the streets. The city seemed a lot less busy than Pewter City had been.

They passed a small bike shop with a "closed" sign hung over its doors, business hours beneath.

"Man, I miss my motorcycle," Shiva said.

"I don't," Athena said. "I hate that thing. It's so dangerous."

"Hey look, there's the gym," Shiva said, pointing. It was a large dome-shaped structure, colored brightly with an enormous cutout of a Dewgong sitting atop it.

"That looks… festive," Athena said. Shiva pulled a small guidebook out of his bag and flipped through it.

"Cerulean Gym," he said. "Leader: Misty. Type: Water." He closed the book and replaced it. "Doesn't sound too bad."

"Who's going to fight?"

"Haven't decided yet," Shiva said as he looked out at the gym, hands in his pockets. "Probably Freyr. Maybe Hanuman, give him a challenge."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

Shiva stared at her. "Are you serious? Did you forget how Hanuman trained? After what he's been through, water barely fazes him anymore."

"I guess," Athena said. "But fighting a water-type Pokémon will be tougher than training under a waterfall."

"He'll be fine," Shiva said. "Besides, if he's in trouble I'll just switch him out. Nothing to worry about."

Shiva turned and began walking back to the Pokémon Center. Athena drifted ghost-like after him.

Shiva and Athena stepped back into their room. Brock and Ash were still asleep. Auron was meditating with his eyes closed, hovering ever so slightly above the floor as he focused his Aura. He sensed them come in and opened his eyes, landing on his feet.

_These people would sleep forever if we let them._

"Get up!" Shiva yelled. Ash, Pikachu and Brock all jumped. Ash hit his head on the bottom of Brock's bed. Shiva laughed.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Ash shouted. He looked at the clock. "It's only eight!"

"By the time you guys get ready, it'll be nine. We can go grab some breakfast and then head over to the gym."

"I can't wait to see Misty!" Ash said, suddenly energetic. He jumped out of bed and ran into the hall.

"Wait, are you guys friends or something?" Shiva asked, confused.

"Misty and I traveled with Ash when he went on his journey in Kanto and Johto," Brock said. "We haven't seen her since before Ash took the Frontier challenge."

"You guys have a Battle Frontier? We visited the one in Sinnoh after we finished the Conference!"

"I didn't know there was a Frontier in Sinnoh!"

"Well, it's not technically _in_ Sinnoh," Athena said. "It's on a peninsula just north of Sinnoh."

"But you guys are friends with Misty, huh?" Shiva said. "That's cool."

They ate a quick breakfast then walked to the gym.

"I haven't seen Misty in so long," Ash said as they stood outside the doors. "I wonder how she's doing."

"Well, let's find out," Shiva said, throwing the doors open. There was a large pool in front of them, with several floating platforms; on the far side was a diving platform. Bleachers lined the long walls on the side.

"Hello?" Ash called out. Nobody answered.

"I guess she's not here," Brock said.

"That's too bad," Shiva said. "I was looking forward to getting the next badge."

"She's _got_ to be here," Ash said. _"Helloooo!"_

They heard a door open to their left. "Who's yelling?" A sandy-haired girl in a white one-piece swimsuit and an open light-blue jacket stepped out. She blinked her blue eyes in surprise. "Ash? Brock?" A smile began to spread across her face as she walked up to them, ignoring Shiva.

"Hey Misty," Ash said, grinning.

Brock waved. "How've you been?"

"I've been great!" Misty said, pulling them in for a hug. "What are you guys doing here?"

Shiva cleared his throat; they all turned to face him.

"Sorry," Ash said. "Misty, this is Shiva. He's taking the Indigo League Challenge!"

"Nice to meet you," she said, offering her hand. Shiva shook it.

"I don't mean to interrupt your reunion, but I was hoping for a match against you."

"Of course!" she said excitedly. "I haven't had a challenger in _ages!_ We'll catch up later, guys!" she said to Ash and Brock.

Misty took her place on the opposite side of the pool, beneath the diving platform. Brock stood on the side, ready to referee. Ash, Pikachu, Athena and Auron took seats in the bleachers.

"How does a three-on-three battle sound?"

"Fine with me," Shiva said.

"This will be a three-on-three battle! Only the challenger may substitute Pokémon! And… begin!"

"All right Lanturn, let's go!" Misty threw a Pokéball into the water, and a Lanturn appeared.

"Hanuman, come on out!" Shiva tossed the Pokéball onto one of the floating platforms; Hanuman appeared in a flash of fire.

"Why is he using a fire type?" Ash asked incredulously. "He's going to lose!"

_Just watch._

"All right Hanuman, ready?" Hanuman turned to Shiva and nodded.

"You can do this."

"Interesting choice," Misty said. "You have the first move."

Hanuman closed his eyes and was surrounded by a magenta aura.

"What's he doing?" Ash asked.

"Calm Mind," Athena said. "He's setting up."

"Lanturn, use Surf!"

A swell began to rise beneath Lanturn, forming into a large wave that came rolling toward Hanuman. The wave crashed in to him. Ash gasped.

Hanuman stood on the platform, arms crossed defensively in front of his face. Water dripped from his body, and his eyes had an alarming ferocity in them.

"He took a direct hit!" Ash exclaimed. "How is he still standing?"

"You can do this, Hanuman," Shiva said calmly. Hanuman looked over his shoulder at him and nodded.

Two orbs of light appeared in his hands and he clapped them together above his head. A beam of light erupted from them and spread out beneath the ceiling, and the arena was awash with the light from the Sunny Day.

"All right, let's take this up a notch!" Misty exclaimed. "Lanturn, use Thunderbolt!"

Lanturn leapt out of the water behind Hanuman and fired a massive thunderbolt from the yellow esca hanging above its head. Hanuman leapt into the air as the electricity hit the platform and Lanturn fell back into the water. Hanuman landed on a platform on the opposite side of the pool, and held his hands to his waist, an orb of white light forming between his palms.

"Lanturn, use Surf again!"

Lanturn rose once more on an enormous wave, riding it toward Hanuman. Hanuman held his ground. He thrust his arms forward, loosing a devastating SolarBeam. The wide beam of light engulfed the Light Pokémon, and it crashed into the water as the wave it rode fell apart.

"Lanturn is no longer able to battle!" Brock declared. Misty withdrew her Pokémon.

"Your Infernape's pretty good, I'll give you that," she said, smiling confidently. "But he took a lot of damage from that Surf attack. Let's see how well he holds up against Starmie!" She threw her Pokéball into the pool, and the Mysterious Pokémon appeared, its rear star spinning as it danced about on the platform.

"All right Starmie, use Psychic!"

Starmie's core began glowing a bright red, And Hanuman was engulfed by a light purple aura. He was flung into the air and crashed into the water.

"Oh no!" Ash yelled. Pikachu bounded forward and leaned over the railing, looking for Hanuman.

_Relax_, Auron said.

Hanuman appeared from the water, the flame on his head completely dry. He jumped out of the water and landed on a platform, panting.

"Woah, what happened?"

_He used Protect as he fell into the water,_ Auron said. _If he'd fallen in without it, he'd probably be out._

Hanuman pulled back his fist, which sparked with electricity.

"Starmie, use Surf!"

Starmie leapt into the air as the water began to swell beneath it, as Hanuman unleashed a vicious combination Mach Punch/ThunderPunch, which carried him straight into the air. His fist contacted Starmie in midair in an overhand punch, and Starmie shot straight down into the water below as Hanuman landed safely on the other side of the pool. Starmie floated lamely to the surface, face down.

"That was incredible!" Ash yelled, jumping out of his seat. Pikachu exclaimed happily.

"Starmie is unable to battle!" Brock declared. Hanuman leapt back to Shiva's side of the pool, panting.

"You all right?" Shiva asked. "You can switch out if you want." Hanuman shook his head vigorously.

"All right, it's your call," Shiva said. "But no matter what happens, you've done an amazing job." Hanuman smiled exhaustedly at him.

"All right," Misty said, more intensely than before. "You're good, but I wouldn't be able to call myself a Gym Leader if I didn't give this everything I've got!" She threw her last Pokéball into the pool, and a Lapras appeared out of it, floating gracefully.

"Give it your all, buddy," Shiva said.

Hanuman brought his hands back, preparing for another SolarBeam.

"Lapras, use Rain Dance!"

Lapras glowed blue, and it opened its mouth in song. Storm clouds began to gather, obscuring the bright light of the Sunny Day attack, and rain began to issue forth from them. Hanuman looked up in surprise as the light in his palms faded.

"Now use Water Pulse!"

A ball of water formed in Lapras' mouth, and it shot toward Hanuman, who barely dodged it in time. He rolled to his feet on another platform, panting.

"Again!"

Another Water Pulse, and Hanuman was too slow from fatigue. The ball of water hit him and knocked him into the side of the pool, and he fell face-first onto a platform.

"Oh no," Athena said. Shiva looked worried, but did not speak.

"Hanuman is no longer…"

Brock stopped as Hanuman began glowing a bright red. The flame on his head suddenly erupted, becoming a raging inferno. He stood up, his eyes glowing red, lips pulled back in a feral snarl. Shiva smiled in relief.

"Woah, he activated Blaze!" Ash said excitedly. Pikachu cheered.

"He managed to hang on!" Athena said with similar enthusiasm.

"All right, Hanuman!" Shiva said firmly, pointing at Lapras. "Take no prisoners!" Hanuman threw his head back and howled savagely, before leaping at Lapras with blinding speed, his fist pulled back and engulfed in flames.

"Lapras! Use ThunderBolt!"

Lapras opened its mouth to attack, but was too slow. Hanuman's Mach Fire Punch landed with a solid right cross to Lapras' jaw. Hanuman landed on Lapras' shell, and dealt a flurry of Mach Punches to Lapras' face and neck, occasionally combining them with Fire Punch and ThunderPunch.

"Lapras! Shake him off!" Misty yelled desperately. Lapras tried to swing Hanuman off, but Hanuman grabbed on to Lapras' neck with his legs and swung around to the front, punching Lapras beneath the jaw, his fists a blur. Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu stared in disbelief. Lapras finally collapsed, and Hanuman flipped back onto Lapras' shell before leaping off and landing on a platform in front of Shiva. The red light in his eyes faded, and the flame on his head decreased to its normal size. He fell to one knee, panting and smiling.

"And… Lapras is no longer able to battle! The winner is Shiva!" Brock declared.

"That… was incredible," Misty said, still in shock, as she recalled her Lapras. "I've never seen anything like that."

Hanuman leapt back up to Shiva and crouched down, looking up at him. Shiva took a knee next to him.

"That was amazing," he said, patting his head. "Let's get you to a Pokémon center." He tapped the Pokéball lightly against Hanuman's forehead, and he disappeared in a flash of red light.

"That was unbelievable," Misty said as she walked over to Shiva. Everyone else walked up as well, standing behind him. She fished a badge out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"As proof of your victory, I present you with this Cascade Badge." Shiva took it and handed it to Auron, who clipped it onto the strap of Shiva's bag above the Shadow Badge.


	16. Forest Flashback

That evening, Shiva, Brock, Ash, and Misty sat around a table at a restaurant in town. Athena and Auron sat on either side of Shiva.

"So what've you been up to these past few years, Misty?" Ash asked excitedly.

"Oh, you know, this and that. Doing shows, mostly." She scooped up a spoonful of hot soup and gulped it down. "I haven't had many battles in a while. But man, Shiva, that was amazing."

"Thanks," Shiva said. "We try."

"Seriously though, I've never seen anything like it before!"

"So what sorts of shows do you do?" Shiva asked, changing the subject.

"Water acrobatics," Misty said, smiling. "I'm pretty good at it. My sisters used to be in the show too, but they got a gig on the S.S. Anne as performers."

"That's awesome!" Brock said. "Good for them."

"I'm almost glad they're gone," Misty said, laughing. "They kept giving away badges for free. I think that half the people who got them weren't even on a League challenge, they just wanted a badge for the sake of having a badge." She looked to Ash and Brock. "But enough about me, what have you two been up to?"

"I've been training to become a Doctor," Brock said. "But I decided to take a break and come with Shiva. I feel like there's a lot I can learn from him."

"What about you, Ash?"

Ash was silent. "I've been doing… you know, stuff." He scratched the back of his head and looked away.

"You've just been sitting around your house these past for years, haven't you?" Misty chided. "Why don't you get a job or something?"

"Hey, I'm here now, aren't I?" Ash said heatedly.

"Woah, calm down," Misty chuckled nervously. "I was just joking."

"Oh," Ash said quietly. "Sorry."

"Hey, are you okay?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Misty shrugged and turned to Auron.

"So what's the deal with the Dusk Stone?" she asked, gesturing to the stone that sat in Auron's chest where his chest spike used to be.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that too," Brock said.

_It's not really much of a story,_ Auron said.

"What are you talking about?" Athena said, looking at him incredulously. "It certainly _is_ a story!" Shiva chuckled.

_You tell it then,_ Auron said.

"Fine," Athena said, folding her arms across her chest. "It was night. And it was raining…"

O O O O

Fourteen-year-old Shiva walked through the forest with nothing but a jacket to shield himself from the pouring rain. Lightning flashed above the trees, followed by a loud clap of thunder. The Kirlia next to him jumped and hugged his legs, eyes closed tightly. The Shelgon next to Kirlia stared up into the sky.

"Relax, Athena," Shiva said, crouching down beside her. "It's just a storm. It'll pass soon." He looked at the Shelgon, who looked back. "Look at how brave Zmeyevich is being." Athena opened her eyes and looked at Zmeyevich, who looked back, her face hidden in the shadow of her shell. "Can you be brave like her?"

Athena nodded slowly, not letting go of Shiva's leg. "Athena is brave," she said in a child-like voice.

"Good girl," Shiva said, patting her head. "Let's keep moving, okay? We'll try to find a place to wait until the storm passes."

They walked for about another half-hour when they came upon a small cave.

"Perfect," Shiva said as he ducked inside, taking of his soaked jacket and dropping it on the ground. He pulled a flashlight out of his bag and turned it on as Zmeyevich and Athena walked inside and sat down next to him.

"We'll just wait here until the storm calms down," Shiva said, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.

He awoke what seemed like seconds later to Athena tugging on his sleeve.

"Huh? What's going on?" He rubbed his eyes.

"Look!" Athena pointed out of the cave into the pitch black of the night. In the strobe-light flashes of lightning, Shiva could make out a Lucario being attacked by two large Ursaring. The Pokémon was barely able to fend them off, and was taking heavy hits.

Shiva grabbed his jacket from the ground and ran outside, his eyes adjusting to the low light. Athena and Zmeyevich ran after him.

"Zmeyevich, use Dragon Claw! Athena, Thunderbolt!"

Zmeyevich leapt at one of the Ursaring, the claws on its small forelegs glowing white. It slashed at the Ursaring, as Athena delivered a Thunderbolt to the other. They both turned their attention away from the Lucario, who sank to his knees, clutching his chest.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Shiva said, backing up slowly as the Ursaring drew closer. Athena and Zmeyevich backed up, frightened.

"We can do this," Shiva said. "Zmeyevich, use Brick Break! Athena, Psychic!"

Zmeyevich's body began glowing white as it jumped at the first Ursaring's stomach. The Ursaring caught it and, with incredible strength, threw it against a tree behind Shiva. The tree splintered and fell. Athena, meanwhile, used Psychic on the second Ursaring, who floated up into the air before crashing back down. He quickly stood up and his claws began glowing white, and he struck Athena with a powerful Slash attack. She flew backward and came to rest beside Zmeyevich, struggling to stand. The Ursaring turned their attention to Shiva.

"Damnit," he said, rushing to his Pokémon. He threw his arms around them, ready to shield them from the feral Pokémon.

There was a sudden flash of blue light, and Shiva heard the Ursaring flee into the trees. He turned around. The Lucario was surrounded by an aura of blue light. It faded quickly, and the Lucario fell back to the ground, unconscious. Behind him, Athena and Zmeyevich were coming too. Shiva rushed to the Lucario's side and saw that his chest spike had shattered, jagged remnants of the bone sticking out of the chest. Blood streamed from the wound.

"Need to help!" Athena cried in alarm. Shiva took off his jacket and wrapped it tightly around the unconscious Lucario, scooping him into his arms.

"We have to hurry," Shiva said, pulling a Pokéball from his belt. "Zmeyevich, return." The dragon vanished in a flash of red light. "Let's go."

Shiva and Athena ran as fast as they could through the trees as blood and rain saturated Shiva's jacket.

"Hold on," he said. "We're going to save you."

After fifteen minutes of running, they came across a Pokémon center. Shiva burst through the door, and Nurse Joy looked up in alarm.

"This is an emergency!" Shiva yelled. "This Lucario needs immediate attention!"

Nurse Joy sprang into action. "Chansey, get a stretcher!" She ran over to Shiva and took the Lucario from him, laying him onto the stretcher that the Chansey rushed out. She peeled the bloody jacket from him and handed it to Shiva before dashing into the back with Chansey and the stretcher. Shiva sank into a chair, breathing heavily. He lifted Athena off the ground and sat her on his lap, hugging her tightly as they shivered. They sat together in solemn silence, deep in worry about Lucario.

An hour later, Nurse Joy reemerged from the back, peeling off bloodied latex gloves and tossing them into a biohazard bin behind the desk. Shiva sprang out of the seat.

"Is he going to be all right?" he demanded.

Nurse Joy smiled exhaustedly. "You got him here just in time," she said. "He lost a lot of blood, but we were able to give him a transfusion." Shiva sighed, and Athena smiled.

"That's a relief," Shiva said. "He's going to be okay, Athena!"

"Well, it's too early to tell," Nurse Joy said, "but he should be all right. We're going to keep him here for a while to make sure."

"Do you have a room available?" Shiva asked. "I'd like to stay until I'm sure he's better."

"Of course," she replied. "Would you like to rest your Pokémon first?"

"Oh yeah," Shiva said, handing Zmeyevich's Pokéball to her. "Go with Nurse Joy," he said to Athena. "I'll be waiting right here." Athena nodded and followed her.

The next morning, Shiva walked downstairs, followed closely by Athena and Zmeyevich.

"How's Lucario?" he asked Nurse Joy.

"Not well," she said somberly. "He's getting weaker and weaker."

"Oh no!" Athena cried out.

"He came to for a minute early this morning," she continued. "He said that he used the last of his energy to fight off two Ursaring, and that without his chest spike the last of his Aura is leaving his body."

"Wait, what do you mean, he _said?_"

"He communicated through telepathy," Nurse Joy said. "But… he's going to die soon."

"No!" Shiva ran past her and into the back room.

"Wait!" she said, as she and Shiva's Pokémon ran after him.

Lucario was the only Pokémon in the recovery room. He lay unconscious in a stretcher, electrodes attached to his temples and chest. A machine made a steady _beep_.

"I can't believe you're dying because of me," Shiva whispered. "This is all my fault. I should have been able to protect my own Pokémon." He knelt by the bed. Nurse Joy and Zmeyevich watched from the doorway as Athena walked over to Shiva, tapping him gently on the shoulder. Shiva wiped his eyes on his sleeve and looked down.

"What is it, Athena?"

"Idea!" she said. She was holding his bag, which she put down on the floor. She rummaged through it and produced a dark purple Dusk Stone.

"Can help?" She tilted her head curiously as she handed the stone to Shiva.

"Nurse Joy!" Shiva said, jumping to his feet. "Since evolutionary stones contain Aura energy, do you think…"

"I don't know," she said, biting her lip. "But it's worth a try."

She slowly unwrapped Lucario's bandages, exposing the hole in his chest. She took the stone from Shiva and placed it over the hole.

Lucario's eyes openeds uddenly and he gasped. Shiva and Nurse Joy jumped in surprise. The stone began glowing a blindingly bright blue, and sunk slowly into Lucario's chest cavity. A few seconds later, it sat where Lucario's chest spike had been, perfectly filling the hole. Lucario sat up quickly, and the electrodes snapped off of him. The machine whined a flat tone in response, and Nurse Joy quickly shut it off.

"Athena, awesome idea!" Shiva said. She smiled.

Lucario was looking down at his chest. _You… you saved me._ He rubbed his palm over the shiny purple stone, then looked at Shiva and Athena, eyes wide.

_I cannot thank you enough._

"No need for thanks," Shiva said. "We're just glad you're all right, Lucario."

_Auron,_ the Lucario said. _My name is Auron._

"Well, it's nice to meet you properly, Auron," Shiva said, extending a hand. Auron took it.

Later that afternoon, Shiva prepared to leave.

"Thank you so much for saving Auron," Nurse Joy said, Auron and Chansey standing at her side.

"Anybody would have done the same, right guys?" he said, looking down at Athena and Zmeyevich. They nodded happily.

"Well, we'd better get going," Shiva said. "I'd like to reach the next town by nightfall. It was nice to meet you all!" He waved and walked away.

Several minutes later, he felt something at the edge of his consciousness and stopped. He turned around to see Auron standing before him.

"Hey Auron, is something wrong?"

_Nothing is wrong,_ Auron said. _I want to come with you. If you will allow it._

"Of course!" Shiva said. "The more the merrier!"

_I owe you my life. Though I will never be able to repay that debt, I will travel with you and do my very best._

"You don't have to feel obligated to do this," Shiva said, scratching the back of his head.

_It's not just that._ Auron shifted his weight. _There's something about you. Something special. And I'm curious to find out what it is._

"Well," Shiva said, grinning, "Stick around and you'll find out what the big secret is."

Auron extended his hand.

_I'm looking forward to this._

"Me too," Shiva replied, grabbing his hand.

O O O O

"Wow, that's an amazing story!" Misty exclaimed. Athena nodded.

"I told you it was a good story," she said smugly to Auron. "You just suck at telling it."

_To be fair, I was unconscious for most of it._

"Wait wait wait, so what was the big secret?" Ash asked excitedly. Shiva laughed.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore," he said.

"What? But you told Auron!"

"Ash, that's totally different," Brock said. "They saved each other's lives."

"I'll make you a deal, Ash," Shiva said. "Stick with me until the end of my stay in Kanto, and maybe I'll let you guys in on the secret."

"All right!" Ash said. "I was planning to stay with you anyway!"


	17. Race to the Finish

"Next up, Saffron City!" Ash cheered as the group left Cerulean the next day. He and Pikachu marched along excitedly at the front, while Shiva, Brock, Athena and Auron followed at a close distance.

"So Saffron's here," Brock said, showing Shiva the location on the map. "We can go to Celadon City, Vermilion City, or Lavender Town afterward."

"Well, which do you recommend?"

"Well, there's not really anything of interest in Lavender Town, since Pokémon Tower was torn down to make way for the Radio Tower. Celadon and Vermillion both have Pokémon Gyms, but if we went to Celadon first we could take Cycling Road down to Fuchsia City to challenge the gym there before heading to Vermillion."

"That sounds good to me," Shiva said. "How about you guys?"

_Whatever you say._

"Yeah, whatever you think is best."

"Celadon City it is," Shiva said.

"They have a great mall and shopping district," Brock said, folding up his map. "I'm going to restock on supplies when we get there."

After a few hours of walking, they stopped to take a lunch break, as everybody released their Pokémon. Brock set up a temporary campsite, with a collapsible table and fire pit, along with a large pot.

"How… did all of that fit in his bag?" Athena asked in confusion.

"Hey Floatzel, can you give me a hand?" Brock asked Ash's Floatzel. Floatzel nodded and walked over.

"Can you use Scald into the pot?" Floatzel nodded as its cheeks puffed up. It released a gentle stream of steaming water into the pot.

"All right, that's perfect," Brock said as the water filled the pot halfway. He pulled some vegetables and spices from his bag and added them to the pot.

"Seriously, how does all that fit in there?" Athena asked again.

"All right," Brock said a few minutes later. "Let's eat!"

"Awesome, I'm starving!" Ash exclaimed as he grabbed a bowl and began slurping noisily.

"Slow down, you're going to burn your tongue," Brock scolded as he set out dishes full of cubes of food for the Pokémon.

"Woah, you make your own Pokémon food?" Shiva asked, as Auron picked up a cube and sniffed it before popping it into his mouth. His eyes widened.

_This… is amazing,_ he said, smiling.

"Wow, I'm impressed!" Shiva laughed. "You even got a smile out of Auron!"

"I make it custom for every different type of Pokémon," Brock said. "Try it, Athena!"

Athena picked up one of the cubes and looked it over skeptically before taking a small bite. She chewed slowly, and her eyes lit up.

"Ohmigod this is the best thing I've _ever tasted!_" she exclaimed, wolfing down the remainder of the cubes in her bowl as the others stared. She then turned to Auron's bowl and grabbed a cube and popped it into her mouth, and immediately began retching.

_That's what you get for stealing,_ Auron said sagely.

"Oh yeah, they only taste good to the Pokémon they're meant for," Brock said. "Sorry about that."

"Ech!" she said, scraping at her tongue. She turned and glared at Hanuman and Sudowoodo, who were rolling on the ground with laughter. They quickly stopped.

"Have some soup," Brock said, handing her a bowl. "That should help." She quickly gulped it down, glaring at Shiva as he laughed at her.

"So how long will it take us to get to Saffron from here?" Shiva asked, his laughter dying down.

"Well, we have to get through the mountain range," Brock said, pointing to the green mountains in the distance. "There's a pretty easy path cut through the trees though. It should take us a day at most."

"Well, we'd better get going," Shiva said, standing up. "Maybe if we're fast, we'll be able to make it before the morning."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," Brock chuckled. "I know the layout of this place. There's no way you could make it over by that time."

Shiva's eyes lit up. "That sounds like a challenge," he said.

"No, I was just–"

"Well, I accept," Shiva said. "We'll race to Saffron City!"

"That sounds awesome!" Ash said.

"Well, that sounds fun," Brock said. "You're on."

"All right, it'll be you, Ash and Pikachu against me, Auron, and Athena," Shiva said animatedly. Athena chuckled. Shiva glanced at her.

"What's so funny?"

"You're so cute when you're excited," she said. Shiva clicked his tongue dismissively and turned back to Brock and Ash.

"Rules. No flying, and Pokémon can't use their powers to help, unless you get into trouble."

"That sounds good to me!" Ash said.

"Hold on, before we get _too_ excited," Brock said. "We still need to pack up."

An hour later, the two teams stood at the base of the mountain. A wide path stretched out for about a hundred yards before them before forking in two.

"All right Red Team," Shiva said, turning to Auron and Athena. "You ready!"

"Why can't we be Blue Team?" Athena complained. "Or Green Team?"

Shiva ignored her, turning to Ash, Brock and Pikachu. "Are you ready, Blue Team?" The three of them cheered affirmatively.

"Ready… set… _go!_"

Shiva, Auron and Athena sped off down the path.

"How are you so fast?" Ash called after them as his team trailed after them.

"Lots of practice!" Shiva called back as they turned onto the left fork and disappeared among the trees.

"We've gotta pick up the pace!" Ash yelled, pumping his legs faster as he swung around the right fork. Brock and Pikachu raced after him.

Ten minutes later, Shiva's team slowed down. Shiva stopped for a moment, panting.

"I think… we can walk for a bit," he said. "We've got a pretty good head start." Shiva reached into the bag slung over Auron's shoulder and pulled out a bottle of water, gulping some down before offering the bottle to Auron, who took a swig. He offered it to Athena, who refused.

"All right, let's keep moving," Shiva said, before setting off at a brisk pace.

On the other path, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu struggled up the mountain.

"I'm so… out of shape…" Brock panted.

Two figures suddenly jumped out of the trees ahead of them, dressed in jeans and leather jackets, both wearing sunglasses.

"Hey, lookie what we got here, Mickey," the one on the right said.

"Yeah, looks like a couple o' chumps, huh, Mikey?"

"Who are you guys?" Ash said.

"We're the Garbador Gang, see," Mikey said.

"Yeah, on account of the fact that Garbador's the best Pokémon, see?" They turned around in unison and pointed at the backs of their jackets. The silhouette of a Garbador was emblazoned in silver on both of them.

"Not like that good-for-nuthin' Probopass Posse, on account of Probopass bein' the _worst Pokémon,_ see?" Mikey said as they turned back around.

"Are… you guys serious?" Brock asked in confusion.

"Hey, you sayin' Garbador's _not_ the best Pokémon?" Mickey demanded, shoving an accusatory finger in Brock's face.

"We're not saying that," Ash said. "But we're kind of in a hurry, so if you could just let us pass…"

"Nobody passes through here without a fight, see?" Mickey said.

"What, like a Pokémon battle?"

Mickey and Mikey quickly conferred in whispered tones, while Brock, Ash and Pikachu looked at each other in confusion.

"We've decided that if you can beat us in a Pokémon battle, we'll let you pass," Mikey said. "Which one of you wants to battle?"

"I'll do it!" Ash said excitedly.

"Make it quick, Ash," Brock said. "There's no way we're going to beat Shiva's team if we don't hurry."

"Got it," Ash said. "Which one of you is my opponent?"

"I'll be your opponent, see?" Mickey said, stepping forward. "We'll have a one-on-one battle, see?"

"All right, let's go!" Ash and Mickey unclipped Pokéballs from their belts.

"Let's go Staraptor!" Ash threw his Pokéball and Staraptor appeared in midair.

"Do it, Garbador!" Mickey yelled, as Garbador appeared.

"What a surprise," Brock muttered sarcastically.

"You're goin' down, see?" Mickey said. "Nobody can beat my Garbador, see?"

"Less talking, more battling!" Ash said. "Staraptor, Quick Attack!"

Staraptor flew with incredible speed at Garbador, knocking it off balance.

"Garbador, use Sludge Bomb!"

Garbador opened its mouth, and three blobs of purple sludge shot out of it. Staraptor managed to dodge the first two, but was hit by the third one. He fell to the ground.

"Staraptor, are you okay?"

Staraptor stood and shook his head, cawing defiantly. He rose back into the air.

"All right, use Aerial Ace!"

Staraptor backflipped before diving at Garbador, knocking it down. Garbador struggled to get back up before finally collapsing.

"What? There's no _way_ my Garbador lost to a punk like you, see?"

"Yeah, you must've cheated, see?"

"How could I have cheated?" Ask demanded. "You were both watching the whole time!"

"Yeah, you have to let us pass now!" Brock said.

"No way!" Mickey said, recalling his Garbador. "You may have beaten my first Pokémon, but you'll never get past my next one, see?"

"No fair! You said a one-on-one battle, and you'd let us past!"

"The rules changed, see?" Mickey said. "Go, Garbador!"

A Garbador identical to the first one appeared.

"Seriously? Staravia, Aerial Ace!"

Staravia flew at the new Garbador and hit it, and it fell backward, fainting immediately.

"What? How could this happen?" Mikey exclaimed.

"Now let us go!" Ash demanded.

"Fine. But _only_ because I'm out of Pokémon!" Mickey said. "If I ever see you punks around here again, I–" he was stopped short by Ash's team running past him.

"It's okay Mickey, you'll get the next one," Mikey said, patting Mickey's back as he sobbed pathetically.

On the other path, Shiva, Athena and Auron moved at a brisk pace.

"I bet we're way ahead of them," Shiva said.

Two men suddenly leapt out of the trees ahead of them. They wore leather jackets, jeans, and sunglasses.

"Not another step," the man in front said.

"And you are?" Shiva asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My name's Ronald, and that's my buddy Donald," the man said, jerking a thumb at the other man. "We're members of the Probopass Posse." They spun around, pointing at the silver Probopass silhouettes emblazoned on the backs of their jackets.

"You're kidding me."

"Do we _look_ like we're joking?" Donald asked dangerously.

"Honestly? Yes."

"This is our turf. If you want through, you're gonna have to go through us."

Shiva looked around in bewilderment. "These are trees. Your turf is _trees?_"

"Damn right it's our turf," Ronald said proudly. "That Garbador Gang thinks it's theirs, but what do they know? They can't even see that Probopass is _clearly _the best Pokémon."

"Are you guys _serious?_ What are you, five?"

"You're not going to be acting so tough after we thrash you in a battle, kid," Donald threatened.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass," Shiva said, walking forward and rolling his eyes. He stopped when he was stopped by Ronald's hand on his chest.

"_How dare you–"_

"Chill, Athena," Shiva said.

"You wanna pass, you either fight Pokémon or fight us."

Shiva grabbed Ronald's wrist with his right hand and twisted it as he pulled it off his chest. He pulled Ronald in as he stepped to the side, delivering a swift chop to his throat with his left hand. He released Ronald's wrist and elbowed him in the nose with his right arm, then snaked his hand around the back of his head and shoved it down, bringing his knee up into his face. Shiva quickly released him and jumped back in a fighting stance as Ronald grunted and pulled himself up to his knees.

"Now are you going to let us pass?"

Ronald gritted his teeth, and looked up at Donald as he wiped blood from his nose. _"Get him!"_

They both rushed at Shiva. Shiva ducked under Ronald's wild swing and delivered a devastating blow to his solar plexus, dropping him. Donald was about to punch Shiva in the side of the head when Auron jumped in, delivering a spinning jump kick to Donald's jaw. As he stumbled back, he was surrounded by a purple light from Athena's Psychic attack. She flung him back into a tree where he collapsed.

Shiva stood up straight and straightened his shirt. "I think we're done here," he said, stepping over Ronald's body as the three of them continued on.

Shiva's team proceeded forward for the next eight hours, alternating between running and walking, and stopping once for a quick break. When they finally cleared the forest-covered mountain range, the sky was dark. They saw a sign pointing them down the road to Saffron City, but no other people.

"I guess we won," Athena said. Shiva grinned as he looked at his watch; it was three in the morning.

They waited for another hour before Ash, Brock and Pikachu emerged from the forest.

"Aw man, we lost!" Ash cried out.

"We got held up," Brock said. "Some guys challenged us to a Pokémon battle. They wouldn't let us pass until we beat them."

_We had a… similar situation,_ Auron said.

"What, you guys had a battle too?"

"Not so much a battle as a kerfuffle," Shiva said. "We took them out pretty quickly."

Ash chuckled. "The way you said that made it sound like you fought them instead of their Pokémon."

"No, that's what happened," Athena said.

"What?" Brock and Ash cried out in surprise.

"Come on, we're almost there," Shiva said. "I'll tell you about it on the way."


	18. Doctor Esper

Shiva woke up at noon the next day. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in his bed, above Auron and Athena.

_How'd I sleep in so late?_ he thought.

_Well, we didn't get here until five,_ Auron replied. Shiva jumped slightly.

_Auron, don't do that first thing in the morning._

_Sorry._

Shiva swung his legs over the side of the bed and dropped silently to the floor. Ash and Brock snored loudly on the other side of the room.

_Should we let them sleep?_ Auron asked.

_Sure. They're probably going to be really sore when they wake up anyway. Want to go for a walk?_

Auron nodded.

_Let's be quiet. I want to see if we can leave without Athena noticing we've gone._

Auron shook his head, smiling. _I give it five minutes tops before she realizes you're gone._

They silently exited the room, shutting the door behind them. Shiva ran his fingers through his tousled hair.

"I'm not even dressed properly."

_You're wearing a shirt and shorts. You're fine._

"I don't have my bag."

_You don't need it,_ Auron said, walking down the stairs of the Pokémon Center. _Let's go._

The city was enormous. Skyscrapers dominated the landscape, towering over the many smaller stores and apartment buildings lining the streets. A few cars passed by them, and a small handful of people were walking leisurely down the sidewalk.

_Not as crowded as I thought it'd be._

"Well, it's the middle of the day on a Tuesday. Most people are probably working."

They started walking down the sidewalk together.

"So this city seems even bigger than Viridian."

_Seems that way._

"What do you say we swing by the gym and check it out?"

_Do you know where it is?_

Shiva grumbled. "I _told_ you I should've gotten my bag."

_Well, you wanted to take a walk, right?_

"I suppose you're right."

They walked aimlessly for a few blocks before coming upon a large map on the face of an apartment building. Shiva ran his finger down the list of locations next to the map.

"Let's see… here we go. Esper Psi Institute/Saffron Pokémon Gym."

_Psi Institute?_

"Let's check it out," Shiva said, heading off in the direction indicated on the map.

O O O O

Athena woke up, and immediately realized that she could no longer feel Shiva's presence. She threw the covers off herself and jumped out of bed, floating up to Shiva's bed.

"_Where is he?"_ she exclaimed in panic. On the other side of the room, Brock, Ash and Pikachu suddenly woke up.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Ash said.

"_Where's Shiva?"_

"I'm sure he's fine," Brock said. "Auron probably went with him."

"_What if he's not fine?"_ Athena sped out of the room, the door slamming shut behind her.

"We should probably go with her, huh?" Ash said.

"Yeah."

They both lay in silence for a few moments.

"Hey, Brock?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"I can't move my legs."

"Neither can I, Ash."

O O O O

"That's an impressive looking building," Shiva said. The building had an elegantly curved roof that seemed to be made of separate sections, each one ending in a fine point at the ground. They walked up to the blue doors, and Shiva tried to open them.

"It's locked," he said. Auron pointed to the side of the door; a slot for a keycard was set into the wall.

"Hmm," Shiva frowned. He knocked on the door. After receiving no response, he knocked again, louder this time.

The doors finally opened. A young woman stood before them, her black hair tied up in a bun. She wore a pink spaghetti-strapped tank top and cream-colored pants under a long white lab coat. She held a steaming mug of coffee in one hand.

"Can I help you?"

Shiva squinted to read the name tag clipped to her lapel. "Hello, Dr. Esper. My name's Shiva, and I heard that this is a Pokémon Gym?"

"That it is," Dr. Esper said. "Sort of."

_Sort of?_

The woman's eyes lit up as she turned to face Auron. "Are you communicating through telepathy?" she asked excitedly, grinning.

_Umm… yes._

"Would you mind coming with me for a little bit? I would _love_ to talk to you."

Shiva cleared his throat.

"Oh, of course, where are my manners? Please, do come in. I'm sorry about my brusqueness; I've been under a lot of stress recently."

"Oh, not at all," Shiva said, as he and Auron walked in. "I apologize for my appearance. _Somebody_ wouldn't let me get ready."

"Oh, please, you look fine," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "And to answer your question, the reason I say _sort of_ is that the gym hasn't had a challenger in some time. So, while it's still officially an Indigo League gym, it hasn't functioned as such in quite a while."

"That's too bad," Shiva said. "I was hoping to get my next Indigo badge here."

"Is that so?" Dr. Esper said, looking back at Shiva. "In that case, I'd be happy to accept your challenge."

_You're the Gym Leader?_

"Dr. Sabrina Esper, Saffron City Gym Leader at your service," she said, smiling.

"Now I _really_ feel embarrassed about my clothes," Shiva said.

"Honestly, you look fine. But we can talk more about the gym challenge in a bit."

_Where are we going?_

"My lab," Sabrina said. "I'm a doctor of parapsychology, you see."

"Like psychic powers?"

"Yes," she said. "I'm sure you know that there are human psychics who possess many of the same abilities as psychic Pokémon."

_Like you._

"Yes, actually," she said, stopping and turning to Auron. "How did you know?"

_Your Aura,_ he replied. _It's very obvious that you're a powerful psychic._

"Really? That's awesome."

"It wasn't always awesome," Sabrina said, continuing on. "But anyway, my main area of research is psychic communication between telepathy-capable Pokémon and their trainers."

"Meaning?"

"I want to know if there's a way for regular trainers and their Pokémon to communicate more directly. Pokémon, for the most part, seem to understand what their trainers want them to do. But, in the case of telepathy-capable Pokémon, perhaps it's possible to translate a trainer's thoughts directly into a language that can be completely understood by the Pokémon? And, better yet, maybe it's possible for the reverse to be possible?"

"…I'm not sure I follow."

"All right. Suppose you have an average, non-psychic trainer and an average Pokémon. Say a Bibarel, for example. Now, the Bibarel is perfectly capable of picking up on certain things the trainer says. If the trainer says 'tackle,' Bibarel knows what to do. Now say the trainer says 'Bibarel, go to the store and pick up a set of pink silverware.' Will Bibarel know what to do? Probably not. But, observations have shown that, given enough time with a trainer, the Bibarel will eventually learn exactly what the trainer wants. We still don't know why that is, why exposure to a certain person increases a Pokémon's ability to interpret their language.

"Now suppose you have a trainer and an average telepathy-capable Pokémon. Say, Abra. Studies have shown that the phenomena I just described for Bibarel hold true for Abra as well. But, given the fact that Abra is telepathic, is it possible to somehow, through the use of a machine or some other means, to translate the trainer's thoughts into a language that can be interpreted verbatim by Abra, even before the Pokémon and trainer have grown accustomed to one another? Or, perhaps more interestingly, would it be possible to translate Abra's thoughts directly into a language that can be understood by humans? There's only so much we can glean from 'Abra, abra, abra.'"

"I think I get it now," Shiva said. "Basically, what you want to do is see if you can get humans and Pokémon to communicate directly with each other, instead of through inflection and gestures?"

"Exactly," Sabrina said, smiling. "I think everyone would agree that a more precise method of communication would be beneficial to all."

_But figuring this out for telepathy-capable Pokémon would only be the first step._

"That's true. We'd need to figure out a method for applying this to all types of Pokémon."

"But you're also assuming that all Pokémon have at least human-level intelligence, aren't you?"

"Very good!" Sabrina said, smiling. "That's very true. There's a very general trend – with quite a few outliers, mind you – that the further away a Pokémon is from its final stage of evolution, the less sophisticated its thought processes are. That's not to say that they don't still feel a full range of emotions, it's just that they aren't able to necessarily process these emotions on the same level that more evolved Pokémon and humans do. So that's another hurdle that would have to be overcome."

_But?_

"But, so far our project has been a bust," she said, shoulders slumping. "We need a baseline of the sophistication of a Pokémon's thought processes. Psychics like myself can communicate telepathically with telepathy-capable Pokémon, but it's really not much different from the way a normal trainer would communicate with their Pokémon. While we don't hear 'Abra, abra,' in our heads, all we really get is a feeling, or mental picture, of what the Pokémon is thinking. No word-based languages that we can understand."

_And that's where I come in._

"Exactly," she said, perking up. "I think we can use your psychic data to help establish a baseline. That is, if you're willing to help."

_I am._

"Excellent! I don't have anything prepared for today, but would you be able to come back tomorrow?"

Auron looked up at Shiva.

"No problem," he said.

"That's great! Now you were asking about the gym challenge?"

"Yeah, I–"

They heard the doors being thrown open far down the hall.

"What was that?" Shiva asked.

_It's Athena,_ Auron said, his eyes wide. _She's in full panic mode._

"Well, get her to calm down!" Shiva said.

_I can't. She's blocking me._

"I can feel that," Sabrina said. "Is she one of your Pokémon?"

Athena suddenly appeared around the corner, absolutely fuming. Her eyes were wild. She saw Sabrina and ran at her, screaming.

Sabrina was suddenly surrounded by the light purple aura of Gardevoir's Psychic, and flung against the wall.

"_Athena!"_ Shiva yelled. _"Cut it out!"_

Athena was suddenly surrounded by a green light, and her body froze up. Shiva and Auron turned around; Sabrina was on her feet, palms outstretched toward Athena. Her irises were glowing red.

_Are you all right, Doctor?_ Auron asked urgently.

"I'm fine," she said. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. "You'd better calm her down. I don't know… how long I can hold her off. She's very powerful."

"Athena, calm down," Shiva said, gently. Athena was motionless, but tears rolled down her face.

"Athena, I'm fine. Auron and I just went for a walk. You need to _let her go._"

A few tense seconds passed, and Sabrina gasped. Shiva turned around; the purple light surrounding her had disappeared. Her eyes faded from red back to blue, and Athena sank to her knees. Shiva grasped her by the elbow and pulled her up.

"Athena, what's gotten into you?" he said sternly. She looked up at him.

"I… I was so worried! How could you leave like that?"

_Athena, you need to relax._

"Don't tell me I need to relax!" she yelled at Auron. "What if he'd been killed or something?"

"Athena, stop yelling," Shiva said. "Go apologize to Dr. Esper."

Athena looked up at Sabrina, her face red.

"I… I'm sorry," she said, hanging her head.

"It's… fine," Sabrina said. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm so sorry about her, Doctor," Shiva said. "She gets very overprotective."

"I understand," Sabrina said. "We'll just pretend that never happened."

"I have an idea," Shiva said. "Do you want another Pokémon for your experiment? She can make it up to you that way?"

"Uh…" Sabrina's eyes shifted. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"I promise she'll be on her best behavior. Won't you, Athena?" he said, narrowing her eyes at her.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"I promise she's normally very well-behaved."

"In that case, all right," Sabrina said. She cautiously extended a hand to Athena. Athena took it.

"Again, I'm so sorry," she said.

"Like I said. Let's just forget about it."

"We'll be back tomorrow, Doctor," Shiva said.

"Please, you can just call me Sabrina," she said, smiling.

"Right, Sabrina. We'll talk about our battle tomorrow then?"

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks again." Shiva turned and walked back to the entrance, flanked by Auron and Athena, who floated glumly beside him.

"You're lucky she was so forgiving," Shiva said sternly to Athena as they walked back to the Pokémon Center. "You and I are going to have a long talk later."


	19. Psychic Showdown

It was one o'clock when Ash had finally finished showering and getting dressed.

"I've never been so sore in my life," he groaned. Brock sat on the floor tying his shoes, and Pikachu stood on the nightstand, looking out the window.

The door opened very suddenly. Ash, Brock and Pikachu looked up to see Shiva and co. walking in.

"Hey Shiva, how was your walk?" Ash asked. He saw Shiva's stern face and his smile quickly faded.

"Fine." He picked his bag up off the floor and pulled his wallet out, handing Ash a handful of cash. "The rest of you go out and get something to eat. I'm going to take a quick shower, and then _Athena_ and I are going out to have a talk."

"Is something the matter?" Brock asked.

"If you really want to know, Auron can explain," Shiva said as he headed back for the door. "Athena, go wait downstairs." Athena nodded glumly and floated out the door after Shiva, closing the door softly behind her. Ash, Brock and Pikachu looked to Auron.

"What happened?"

_I'll explain after we leave. I don't want to chance Athena eavesdropping._

"Uh, all right then."

On their way out, they passed Athena, who sat in the reception area looking gloomily down at the floor. Ash gave her a small wave, but she didn't respond.

"What happened?" Brock asked as they left the Pokémon Center. "I don't think I've ever seen Shiva angry before."

_Shiva and I went to drop by the Gym without waking Athena…_

O O O O

Shiva and Athena sat across from each other at an upscale restaurant near the center of the city. Shiva stared at Athena over steepled fingers, brows furrowed. She looked glumly down at her salad.

"So what was that all about?" Shiva asked, keeping his tone even.

"I told you, I–"

"Keep your voice down."

Athena sighed and started again. "I told you, I was afraid you'd get hurt."

"Hurt? Hurt how?"

"You know _exactly_ how."

"Athena," Shiva said, leaning in. "You realize that we're not at home, right? Nobody in Kanto is out to kill me."

"That doesn't mean they can't follow us! And also, what about that Hunter K guy?"

"In all fairness, he's after _you,_ not me." Athena was silent.

"So that's really the reason you've been so clingy?"

Athena looked at him indignantly. "I am _not_ clingy!"

"What would you call it then?"

"I'm just trying to look out for you!"

"And I'm very grateful for that. But you don't need to be by my side 24/7. I promise you, nothing's going to happen."

"But–"

"Shh. Nothing. Is. Going. To. Happen." Shiva finally smiled at her. "Okay?"

"…fine."

"Are you angry at me?"

"I'm not angry," she said. "I promise. I'm just frustrated."

"You just need to relax. You're too tightly wound."

"Yeah, yeah." She waved a hand dismissively.

"All right then, enough talking. Let's eat before our food gets cold."

"We got salads. They're not getting any colder."

O O O O

The next day, Shiva and co. were gathered at the Esper Psi Institute. Auron and Athena sat in chairs with numerous electrodes attached to their heads. Shiva, Ash, Brock and Pikachu stood next to Sabrina.

"All right, you two," she began. "I'm going to be saying various words and showing you various pictures. All I want you to do is pay attention. Randall over there is going to be recording the data." She gestured to the man sitting at the computer behind them. "I need complete silence from everyone else. Let's begin."

Sabrina sat down in a chair across from the two Pokémon. She pulled the top card from a stack on the table next to her, and presented it to Auron and Athena. Depicted on it was a mountain. After holding it up for a few seconds, she placed it on the floor next to her.

Next, she held up a picture of a Pokéball. This process continued for almost an hour, until she had exhausted all of the cards in the deck.

"All right, we're going to take a short break before proceeding to the next part of the test."

"How are you guys holdin' up?" Shiva asked his Pokémon. Athena yawned.

"It's a little boring," she said.

"The results will be worth it," Sabrina said, looking over Randall's shoulder at the computer screen. "I hope."

They began another test five minutes later. After that was finished, Sabrina and Randall began removing the electrodes from Auron and Athena.

"It'll take at least a few days to make sense of the data," Sabrina said. "Thank you so much for your help."

_Not at all._

"It's the least I could do."

"Hey, does that mean you guys are gonna battle now?" Ash exclaimed. Shiva looked at Sabrina.

"I'm game if you are."

"Well then, follow me!" Sabrina tucked her hands into the pockets of her long white coat and led the group out of the lab.

Sabrina and Shiva faced each other down in the gym's battlefield. Sabrina stood at the far end of the room in front of an empty high-backed and regal looking seat, which was flanked by two lively orange flames. Four granite pillars lined each side of the battlefield. Shiva stood with his back to the main doors. Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Auron and Athena stood at the midline of the field, between two pillars.

"Three Pokémon match, I won't substitute." Sabrina pulled a Pokéball from within her lab coat, and it levitated above her open palm. "How does that sound?"

"Pretty par for the course," Shiva said. "No problems here."

"All right," Brock said from the sidelines. "And… begin!"

"Let's go, Sigilyph!" Sabrina's Pokéball launched forward, and a Sigilyph appeared, floating in midair.

"Jormungand, let's do it!" Shiva tossed the Pokéball onto the field and Jormungand landed on the ground with a mighty _thump_, the roared.

"Someone's excited," Athena said. Jormungand rolled his eyes at her, then turned back to Sigilyph. He pulled back his right fist, which was crackling with electricity, before flying toward Sigilyph.

"Sigilyph! Reflect!"

A blue wall of energy appeared in front of Sigilyph. Jormungand's fist passed through it, losing power as it knocked Sigilyph backward.

"Now! Ice Beam!"

Shiva's expression changed from one of confidence to one of horror in less than a second. The beam of ice headed straight for Jormungand's chest.

"Oh no!" Ash cried out.

Jormungand managed to launch himself into the air just in time, the beam of ice harmlessly hitting the ground and dissipating into sparkling crystals.

"Wow. Awesome job, Jormungand!" Shiva called out.

"Your Dragonite is fast," Sabrina said. "But my Sigilyph is faster. You won't be able to dodge forever."

"Then we'll just have to finish it now." Shiva nodded to Jormungand, who nodded back. Once again, Jormungand pulled his fist back as it sparked.

"Again? Siliyph, Ice–"

Jormungand's fist slammed into Sigilyph with full force, launching it back into the wall behind Sabrina. She stared in shock.

"What? But…"

"Extremespeed," Shiva said, as Jormungand lowered himself back down to the ground. "He knew that was his only chance of surviving your Ice Beam."

"That's impressive, combining attacks like that. Alakazam, you're up next!"

Alakazam appeared and stared down Jormungand.

"Alakazam, Charge Beam!"

Alakazam's body became surrounded by yellow sparks, then twin bolts of lightning shot from the spoons it held, hitting Jormungand squarely in the chest. The force knocked him back a few feet, but he stood up and shook it off quickly.

"Nice job, Jormungand." Jormungand nodded. A weak spark formed around his hand and a thin bolt of electricity shot toward Alakazam.

"Was that Thunder Wave?" Ash asked. Auron nodded.

_Jormungand knows Alakazam has the speed advantage, so he's evening the odds._

Taking advantage of Alakazam's decreased speed, Jormungand flew toward Alakazam, claws glowing before swiping at him with his Dragon Claw attack. Alakazam reeled back from the impact, but recovered, his posture now sagging.

"What? I thought a powerful attack like that would have finished him off for sure! Alakazam doesn't have high defense, does it?"

"Reflect is still in play from earlier," Athena said.

"Alakazam! Psychic!" Alakazam didn't move, his body sparking.

"He's paralyzed!" Ash exclaimed.

An enormous blue aura in the shape of a dragon's head appeared, surrounding Dragonite. The dragon aura gnashed its jaws, and Dragonite roared before rushing at the immobilized Alakazam, slamming into him at full force with Dragon Rush. Alakazam was launched backward into the wall behind Sabrina.

"Talk about déjà vu," Brock said. "Alakazam is no longer able to battle!"

"Your Dragonite is one of the most impressive Pokémon I've ever seen," Sabrina said. "And that's not a compliment I hand out lightly. But you still have to face down Gallade!" She threw her last Pokéball into the arena, and Gallade appeared in a fighting stance.

"All right, Jormungand, let's pull out all the stops on this one." Jormungand nodded as he faced down his final opponent.

"Gallade! Stone Edge!"

A ring of white orbs appeared around Gallade, which morphed into jagged gray stones before rocketing toward Jormungand, hitting him with full force. Jormungand fell back, taking massive damage from the attack.

"Oh no!" Ash said.

"Jormungand, are you all right?"

"Jormungand is no longer able–"

Jormungand trembled, slowly lifting himself up to his feet. He was panting heavily, staring intently at Gallade. Ash, Pikachu and Athena cheered.

"You've got this, buddy," Shiva said. Jormungand flew up into the air before flying in a high-speed corkscrew toward Gallade. The Aerial Ace attack knocked Gallade off of his feet, and Jormungand collapsed to the ground just a few feet later. Jormungand pulled himself up to a sitting position, while Gallade remained motionless.

"And Gallade is no longer able to battle! The winner is Jormungand!"

Shiva's friends cheered as he walked over to Jormungand. He placed a hand on the dragon's shoulder and smiled at him.

"Awesome job," he said. Jormungand smiled back up at him, and Shiva tapped him with his Pokéball, calling him back. The rest of the group walked up to meet Shiva and Sabrina.

"That battle was intense!" Ash said. "I almost didn't think Jormungand would make it!"

"He's a tough one," Brock said.

"That was an amazing battle," Sabrina said. "I've never seen a Pokémon fight so strategically. And without any commands, at that."

She produced a small circular object from within her coat and handed it to Shiva. "This is the Marsh Badge. It seems like it's been forever since I've given one out." Shiva took it and pinned it to the strap of his bag above the Cascade Badge.


	20. The Art of Misdirection

"All right, Celadon City!" Ash and Pikachu raced toward the city gates while Brock, Shiva, Auron and Athena followed a way behind.

"I wonder if it gets exhausting being him," Shiva said. "So much energy."

"I don't know about being him, but being _around_ him can be tiring sometimes." Brock chuckled. "His excitement can be contagious, though."

"So what should we do first?" Ash called out as he and Pikachu waited at the gate.

"First, I think we should eat," Shiva said. "Then I'll probably just go challenge the gym right away."

"Awesome!"

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll pass on this one," Brock said. "I really need to restock our supplies, and they're having a sale at the department store today."

"Fine with me. Now, let's go find somewhere to eat."

An hour later, Shiva, Ash, Pikachu and Athena stood outside of an enormous greenhouse. Auron had opted to go shopping with Brock instead.

"Some teammate _he_ is," Athena said.

"I still think it would have been nice for you to have gone too. You could have gotten to know Brock a little better."

"I can talk to him as much as I want once you're done here." Shiva shrugged and opened the door to the gym.

The ground inside was covered entirely in greenery. There was no floor, only grass and other plants. Pokémon hung from trees and ran between bushes. In the center of the room was a large clearing, where a group of young women sat on the ground, facing another young woman dressed in a kimono with long black hair. They all looked up as the doors closed.

"May we help you?" the woman in the kimono asked.

"Uh, yeah…" Shiva looked around in confusion. "Isn't this the Celadon Gym?"

"It is, but we are about to begin a class. You can join us if you wish, and I would be happy to speak with you afterwards." Shiva shrugged, and he and Ash sat in the back row. Athena floated lazily behind Shiva.

"Today, we will begin learning the art of ikebana."

"Icky what now?" Ash asked. Erika glared at him, then her eyes widened in surprise.

"Ash Ketchum?"

"Erika? I didn't recognize you with long hair!" Erika turned back to the rest of the class.

"Anyway, as I was saying…"

Shiva leaned over to Ash. "Hey Ash, do you know that woman?"

"Yeah, she's the gym leader here. Or at least, she used to be."

Shiva and Ash sat in silence for the rest of the class.

"Next time, you'll all be using what you learned to create your own arrangements. See you next week!" The women in the class all stood and left, casting sideways glances toward Ash and Shiva on their way out. Once the field was empty, Shiva approached Erika.

"Hi… Erika?" Shiva extended a hand. "My name's Shiva, and this is Athena. We're here to challenge the Celadon Gym."

"Of course," she said. "You should know, though, that I've relinquished the position of Gym Leader."

"Really? Why?" Ash asked.

"Hello, Ash." Erika smiled. "You didn't dress up for me this time?" Shiva raised an eyebrow at Ash, who simply blushed and looked away.

"Anyway. Some years back, I went on a journey of sorts to learn more about foreign flower arranging arts, and left the Gym in the care of my fiancée Arbutus. I had been gone for almost a year when I realized that I didn't miss being a Gym Leader at all! So when I returned, the League made Arbutus the new official Leader of Celadon Gym. I now devote myself full-time to the floral arts."

"Wow, good for you!" Shiva said.

"Wait, your fiancée?"

"Well, husband now," she said. "We were just married three months ago."

"Congratulations!" Ash said. "That's great!"

"Thank you."

"Well, is Arbutus around? I was hoping for a battle."

"He… He's a little eccentric. He won't accept a challenge unless you're able to find him first."

"Find him? Is he hiding?" Shiva looked around, and Erika giggled.

"Oh, you're not going to find him here," she said. "He's somewhere in the city. I can't say where, but I'm supposed to play this for anybody who wants to challenge him." She produced a small handheld recorder from within the folds of her kimono, and tapped the button on the side with her thumb.

"If you're listening to this, it's because you want to challenge me to a battle. That's great! And you're great! But you'll have to find me first. So take a day or two! Look around the city, see the sights, experience life! If you can live in the moment then I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for. I believe in you, champion!" There was a _click_ as the sound byte ended.

"Wait, really?" Athena asked. "Is he serious?"

Erika nodded. "He's not easy to find, when he doesn't want to be found."

Shiva groaned. "So, I have to do work just to challenge him?"

"That's the way it is."

"Come on, Shiva!" Ash said. "It could be fun! Besides, it'd be nice to relax for a day or two."

"I guess." Shiva turned back to Erika. "Can you at least give us a hint? Maybe a photo or something?"

Erika shook her head, smiling. "No hints. Trust me, you'll know him when you see him."

"All right then. Thanks for your time." Shiva nodded and turned to leave.

"So we have to play hide-and-seek with a grown man to get a badge?" Athena hissed one they'd left.

"Athena, relax. You've been really snippy lately."

"Sorry."

"And I don't like it any more than you do. But it's his turf, so we play by his rules." Shiva sighed. "I just want to get the badge and move on."

"Maybe he's right," Ash said. "You haven't really been doing any relaxing, you know, seeing what Kanto has to offer. This might be a really good idea!"

"Yeah, maybe." Shiva sounded thoroughly unconvinced. "Let's go find Brock and Auron."


End file.
